Their Finest Hour
by Draygon-Icewing
Summary: He merely chuckled, an oily resonance burrowing into her brain, holding her bound in this mist of shifting shadows. "Deny all you like. You know I speak the truth." He leaned close to Shepard's ear, and she could could almost feel his cold talons ghost over the flesh of her throat. "The Reapers fear you, Shepard. He fears you. Have you never thought to ask yourself why?" *Post ME2*
1. Chapter 1

The Normandy had never looked so good, even torn half to hell as she was. Despite everything, everyone had survived, the Collector Base was a cloud of atoms and she had stuck it to the Illusive Man. Commander Jane Shepard didn't think this day could get any better. She knew deep down that not even her team's herculean effort would have been enough to save the captured colonists. So, in her mind, she had two choices; one: she could give in to despair and lament the loss of every one of those thousands until she was as hollow as a husk. Or, two: she could vow revenge on the Reapers and anyone who would endanger innocent lives. It did not occur to her as at all ironic that she now lumped the Illusive Man and Cerberus with the Reapers and Collectors.

She lifted the beam blocking her way and stepped into the conference room, brushing sparking wires out of her way. She always hated her chats with the Illusive Man. "Shepard," How she wished she could have reached through the space between them and snapped his neck. "you're making a habit of costing me time and money."

"Too many lives were lost at that base." Shepard clenched her fists as she fought to keep her tone level. "I'm not sorry it's gone."

"The first of many lives." Shepard felt her left eye twitch. Could he really be so callous even with the lives of the people he had tried to convince her he was trying to save? "The technology from that base could have secured human dominance in the galaxy. Against the Reapers and beyond." Politics? This self proclaimed leader of humanity would be willing to sacrifice untold billions just to secure political power?

Shepard scoffed. "Human dominance, or just Cerberus?"

The Illusive Man rose from his chair and Shepard had the vague notion that he was speaking as he would to a pitifully ignorant child. "Strength for Cerberus is strength for every human." He approached Shepard, the details of his face still hidden in back-light, but the clenching of his jaw was clear. "I should have known you'd choke on the hard decisions. You were too idealistic from the start."

Shepard swallowed her retort. "I'm not looking for your approval." She stood straighter, squaring her shoulders. "Harbinger is coming and he won't be alone. Humanity needs a leader who's looking out for them" She stepped to the side as though to leave. "From now on, I'm doing things my way, whether you agree or not."

The Illusive Man seemed more animated now than ever and a part of Shepard felt pleased at having goaded him out of his normally calm demeanor. "Don't turn your back on me, Shepard!" She regarded him with an 'or what?' look. "I made you. I brought you back from the dead!"

Shepard felt a snarl on her lips. "Joker," she looked the Illusive Man up and down like he were a piece of filth she would scrape off of her boots. "Lose this channel." Shepard stalked out into the CIC, her mind filled with the heady thrill of victory. She briefly wondered how Miranda would take her breaking ties with Cerberus, but even the operative had agreed that he had lost focus on Cerberus' true goals.

Stepping into the elevator, she noticed for the first time that the entire CIC was empty. Even Joker was not in the cockpit. She heard where they had all ended up as the doors opened again. Instead of stepping out to celebrate with her crew, however, she found her way blocked by several hundred kilos of armored Turian. She followed the lines of his nearly destroyed armor upward and the corners of her mouth twitched. The elevator seemed to have become entirely too small as she met Garrus' smoldering gaze. Had his stare been able to physically touch her, she would have been divested of her armor and had less than an atom's breadth between his hard scales and her soft skin. He moved forward and she moved back until her rear end touched metal. Without taking his eyes from Shepard, Garrus hit the control that closed the doors and sent the car toward the Commander's cabin.

The two stayed perfectly still as the doors opened again. Shepard kept her eyes on Garrus as she circled him and backed into her quarters, unable to keep her trademark smirk from pulling at one corner of her mouth. Garrus followed, matching her step for step. Shepard felt a shiver run down her spine; Garrus' eyes and movements reminded her of some Raptor like predator stalking its prey. Though the hunger in his eyes told her he was hunting something else all together. Shepard made a mental note to thank Mordin for the overabundance of reading material he had given her on this subject. If she remembered correctly, Garrus was approaching her as he would a female of his own species that he desired.

They stood in the middle of her quarters, eyes not leaving the other as Garrus' mandibles twitched slightly as he steeled himself. Shepard dropped into a combat stance as Garrus silently charged her. He had reach, but Shepard had flexibility. More flexibility than any female Garrus had been with. Garrus grabbed hold of her arm and she twisted herself so that he had to let go or risk a broken wrist. He growled, mandibles flaring as he tried a different angle only to have a surprisingly sharp elbow in his gut and her heel stomped on his toes. Part of him was somewhat surprised that Humans had anything sharp on them. Shepard hopped back and made a charge of her own, slamming her shoulder into Garrus' chest and knocking him down to the floor. Shepard used the few seconds Garrus was stunned to start removing the pieces of his armor she could reach.

With a growl, he reversed their positions and returned the favor, his claws finding the releases in her armor and ripping the pieces off. Never one to take anything lying down, Shepard bucked her hips hard enough to throw his center of gravity forward before tossing him over her head and rolled backwards onto him, removing his chest armor with the same brutal efficiency, her grin a reflection of Garrus' expression underneath her as he used the position to remove her boots and greaves. Shepard smiled down at Garrus as she finely threw the last piece of armor over her shoulder, not minding as it bounced off of the empty fish tank to land by the door.

Garrus wrapped his arms around Shepard's torso and brought his face to her neck, immersing himself in the scent of her skin. He had wanted to do this since he had helped pull her back into the Normandy. Just bury his face in her hair and remind himself that she was still here, still his. Shepard smiled, just letting her hands roam over his face and neck. Garrus, however had become still, his arms around her tightening as though he were unwilling to let her go.

"Garrus?"

Garrus cleared his throat, not realizing that his hands had started to tremble as his mind played out all of the things that could have gone wrong. "I - ," Garrus paused for a moment until he felt his voice was under his control again. "I thought I'd lost you. Again."

Shepard pressed her cheek against Garrus head, gently dragging her nails along his tough skin. "I knew you'd be there for me," she mumbled softly against the side of his face. "You always are."

Garrus tightened his arms around Shepard, holding her tighter to him as though afraid she would disappear at any moment and he would wake up on Omega, in a pool of his own blood, staring into the barrel of a merc's rifle. "No, I wasn't. Not when it mattered." Garrus shook his head, his resolve threatening to crack. "When the first Normandy went down, I wasn't there with you. If I had been there to help you... ."

"You would have been blown out with me." Shepard cut Garrus off, pulling back until she could get him to look her in the eyes. "You would have been out there with me in the cold and dark, listening to the oxygen leaking from your suit, not being able to scream as your blood boiled in your body." She held his face in her hands, brushing the pads of her thumbs over the blue markings on his cheeks.

"At least you wouldn't have died alone."

Shepard smiled, shaking her head. "But I would be alone now, Garrus. I would have to live with the memory of watching you die every day and wonder if I could have saved you if I had just been a little faster."

"Jane?"

Jane leaned her head against Garrus', looking into his bright blue eyes. "You're too hard on yourself, Garrus," she smiled. "You always are."

"Shepard? I don't... ," Garrus stopped mid sentence as Shepard pressed her finger over his mouth, shushing him with a smile.

"There was no way you could have foresaw what would happen." Shepard pressed her lips against his forehead. "You were exactly where you were supposed to be. Besides, if you had died with me, I would have threatened to pop Miranda's boobs if she didn't bring you back too."

Garrus sniggered as he buried his face in Shepard's hair again. "I don't know what I did to deserve you, Shepard." Garrus smiled as he gently drug his talons over her back. "But I hope I get to do it again."

Shepard's confident smirk came back to her face as she nuzzled against Garrus. "Well, you can start by picking up where we left off after being interrupted by those damn Collectors."

"Oh?" Garrus drug his claws over Shepard's thighs just hard enough to leave red welts. "Is that why you blew up their base?"

"Damn right," Shepard declared. "No one interrupts me mid coitus." Garrus chuckled as Shepard leaned him as far back as he could go until she was looming over him, her face framed by her hair. "Not Cerberus, not the Collectors and certain as hell not the god damned Reapers!" Garrus grunted as Shepard dug her finger nails into his arms. Apparently the skin weave that made it nearly impossible for him to puncture her skin with his claws also made her nails strong enough to stand up to his carapace.

Garrus' head swam as he felt Shepard reach down and guide their bodies together. They had barely gotten this far only a few hours ago when Joker's voice had interrupted them with the news that they were ready to head through the Omega-4 relay. He watched Shepard's face, trying to burn the image of her exactly as she was in his mind. He tried to remember everything he had watched and read in the material he had gotten from Mordin, however the only thing going through his mind was absolute disbelief that Commander Jane Shepard, Hero of the Skillian Blitz, Savior of the Citadel and destroyer of the Collectors was right here with him, riding him and making the most delicious sounds he had never heard come from her lips.

He let her have control, let her set the pace and rhythm. Garrus was almost unable to breathe, completely taken with the sensation of her. Neither Mordin's vids nor Fornax in all it's entirety could have prepared him for what he was feeling right now. Sure, he had heard some of his Turian friends brag about sleeping with a Human female and talk in drunken animation about how it felt like being enveloped in an incinerator the first time or how they had these muscles that drove them to completion without their lover even moving on them. How it felt like they were being set on fire on the inside and how utterly intoxicating that sensation became when the females were driven to orgasm multiple times without loosing their stamina.

Garrus watched as Shepard tried in vein to slip her fingers between their bodies, becoming frustrated when she couldn't touch what she wanted to. He followed Shepard's fingers and found what she had been looking for. He gently pressed his thumb against the small nub and was rewarded with a shriek from Shepard and the clenching of those muscles he had heard so much about. He gritted his teeth, trying with all his might to delay his orgasm. His breath hissed through clenched teeth as he continued to slowly circle with his thumb between their joined bodies, wanting Shepard to come first. But the more he tried the more he realized that Shepard's stamina was greater than his own.

Garrus roughly grabbed Shepard's hips and quickly reversed their positions. He took a moment to collect himself, using a breathing exercise he had learned to control pain which he had found years ago was quite useful in a situation like this. A moment was all he needed as he resumed the pace Shepard had set, this time with a better angle and Garrus able to resume the slow circular stroking of Shepard's clit. She was truly a sight to behold, her legs held up, her toes curled around his leg spurs as she used them as leverage to meet Garrus' thrusts, as she tried her best to keep eye contact with Garrus.

Garrus growled, knowing that he didn't have long before he was spent. He hooked his arms under Shepard's knees and pushed them back until they almost touched her shoulders. He knew he had hit on the right angle when she gasped and threw her head back so hard she hit it against the floor, though neither were in any state to care. Garrus felt his breath catch as Shepard shrieked again, her nails nearly drawing blood as they scored down his arms. He could hardly breathe as her completion encouraged his and with a roar, he followed Shepard into blinding bliss.

He was not quite sure when they had moved from the floor to the bed, though Garrus guessed that it had something to do with the biotic glow from Shepard as she settled into the crook of his shoulder, her leg draped possessively over his thigh. He could hardly move a muscle in his body and his throat felt raw. Though he supposed that it would be nowhere near as painful as the rash slowly forming on Shepard's body would be when they woke. Shepard held him close with an arm around his torso and Garrus gently smoothed his hands up and down her arm. As Shepard fell asleep against his shoulder, Garrus thanked every deity, god, goddess and spirit in existence for bringing this amazing woman into his life. His mandibles twitched in a small smile as he realized he would have to thank Cerberus, too, before he succumbed to a dreamless sleep.

* * *

The sounds of celebration filled the entirety of the Crew Deck as the everyone on board tried to squeeze into the mess at the same time. For a race as social as Humans, facing death and living to tell about it brought out their deep seeded need to be close. Samara sat silently at one of the tables and observed their complex language structure as each spoke with words, glances, touches, smiles and guttural sounds that had confused a woman who could still remember what Quarians looked like under their helmets.

Thane sat across from Samara, sipping a mug of steaming tea, wearing a very self satisfied smile on his face. Samara slowly raised one brow at Thane, his over large eyes glancing at the ceiling for a moment before he looked at Samara again. The Asari Justicar smiled, understanding exactly what Thane was not talking about. She had seen the Assassin speaking with Garrus quietly over two hours ago before the Turian had turned and left for the elevator, bound for Shepard's quarters.

Samara's attention turned to Miranda, who was being fed brandy by the glass full. She had sworn to only have one glass, however Zaeed kept topping it off when she wasn't looking. Technically she had not finished her first drink yet, and she seemed wholly surprised that she was getting drunk. Zaeed topped off her glass again before taking a long drink from the bottle, savoring the burn. Miranda was one of the most emotionally controlled human's Samara had ever met, but even she could be loosened up by enough alcohol. Though so far, no amount of alcohol could loosen her up enough to tolerate Zaeed's attempts at getting close to the woman. Every time he tried to wind his arm around her waist, she would smack him away with a backhand to the chest. However, instead of enraging the merc, he took it as a challenge and would refill her glass with more brandy in the hopes his next attempt scored him someone to take to his bunk.

"To Shepard," Joker raised his glass, the others repeating the sentiment until all had their glasses raised in appreciation. Samara raised her mug of hot tea, smiling at the pilot's gesture. She had wondered at first how someone so physically fragile could take the stresses of flying a ship the way he flew the Normandy. Though as she had gotten to know the pilot, she seemed to understand. Like most Humans, the moment someone told them they could not do something, he would be determined to prove them wrong.

"Where the hell is Shepard," Miranda slurred, looking around. Zaeed had just tried his luck again and gotten a boot to the bottom of his chair for his effort. "and Garrus for that matter?" She turned her head as she heard Thane chuckle, though he hid his smile with his mug as he pretended to take a sip from it.

Joker laughed. "Oh, you know," he started doing a little dance in his chair. "Bow Chika Bow *smack* OW!" Joker adjusted his cap, glaring at Tali as she crossed her arms and glared at the pilot. "It's true. He's probably 'Savoring that last shot before he pops the heat sink'."

"That," Tali shook her head, putting up her hands as Zaeed let out a deep belly laugh. "That metaphor is... so wrong." She shivered. "Don't ever use it again."

"I don't know 'bout that love." Zaeed chuckled as Tali glared daggers at him. "It's pretty damned appropriate for someone as hot headed as Garrus and Shepard." Zaeed's laughter died as a thoughtful look settled his face. "In fact, that sounds exactly like something either one of them would say." His eyes narrowed in Joker's direction.

"Oh, would you look at the time!" Jeff extricated himself from the table, turning several shades of rose at all the stares directed at him. "Need my beauty sleep."

Tali gasped. "I don't believe it!" She got up and cut Joker off before he could escape.

"What? I'm not beautiful?" Joker mock sniffed. "You're a bad person,Tali."

"You've been listening in on them, haven't you?" The Quarian Mechanic didn't seem to know whether to sound amused, shocked or curious.

"No! God, no!" Tali glared at Joker. "Well... ok. Yea, a little."

"You little Bosh'tet!"

"Fragile bones! Don't hurt me!" Joker threw his arms over his head. "EDI made me do it!"

"I do not recall 'making' you do such a thing. I merely commented on the strange way Commander Shepard and Garrus have been conversing of late." Anyone could tell coyness when they heard it.

"Details!" Kelly, having gotten several glasses of the brandy in her, had practically skipped over and plopped down on Zaeed's knee, much to his amusement. "They make such an awesome couple."

"Well, yes, they do." Tali seemed to have lost her some of her anger. "But there's no way to know that it would," she worked her hands awkwardly, trying to keep her words civil. "work."

Kelly giggled. "Oh, it works alright." Zaeed made a surprised grunt while drinking from the bottle, coughing to keep from aspirating the alcohol. Jacob, who had been minding his own business at the far end of the table suddenly perked up to the conversation. Tali stared, making the drunk psychologist laugh even harder.

"I... don't think I want to know how you know that."

"Precautions must be taken." Mordin seemed to have become much more interested in the conversation as well. "Prolonged contact with scales can cause chafing. Not to mention if fluids are exchanged. Also mate longer than humans. Average of several hours. Need extra lubricant."

"Oh, Keelah!" Tali covered her visor with her hands. "How did we even get on this subject?"

"Humans very social species." Mordin seemed happy to answer Tali's rhetorical question. "Need to communicate everything, exchange information, knowledge, gossip. Probably why technology advanced so quickly. Organized as a society only in last few thousand years. As one people for less than a hundred. Fascinating."

"Thank you for that amazing dissertation, doc." Joker rubbed his eyes trying to get the new images out of his head.

"Happy to provide." Mordin tipped his head back and emptied his glass. "Both should be fine. Sent several items to ease chafing. Combat allergic reactions if he forgets not to ejaculate inside - Are you ill Tali?"

"Mordin." The Salarian scientist turned his unfocused eyes on Joker. "Little too much information there. Not that getting Tali flustered isn't fun in and of itself."

"I have a shotgun, Joker."

Joker laughed. "That an invitation?"

"Keelah!" Tali threw her arms up in the air and plopped back down at the table.

Kelly bounced up and down on Zaeed's knee, making the mercenary grin like a drunk idiot. "You two are so cute!"

"What?" Tali and Joker shouted at the same time. They turned to glare at each other as Kelly giggled even more. "No... that is impossible." Tali put her hands up as though to stall any more comments on her and Joker's cuteness together. "The suit doesn't come off."

"Oh, Tali," Kelly grinned, shaking her head. "you know exactly how it could be possible."

"Is there any species you haven't slept with?" Tali glared at the psychologist, noting with some annoyance that the woman would not stop giggling.

"Wouldn't you like to know." She wiggled her hips on Zaeed's leg, making the old merc have to shift himself in his chair to stay comfortable.

Joker shook his head, covering his face with his hand to keep himself from laughing too hard. His ribs definitely could not take it. Zaeed got up and wrapped his arm around Kelly's waist. "I would love to know. Privately, of course." The two walked to the elevator, Kelly giving Tali a little wiggly fingered wave before the two disappeared.

"Kinky," Joker broke the silence, laughing as Tali smacked his hat off of his head. "Bow Chika Bow Wow."

"That reminds me of a song..."

"NO!" Mordin's eyes went wide as he was attacked from several different sides, Miranda,Tali, Joker and Dr. Chakwas all covering his mouth before he could utter the first bars. Tali couldn't help the snort, putting her hand up to her visor to muffle her laughter. Slowly Miranda's face softened and she too began to laugh followed by everyone in the room as they fell in to each other. Thane and Samara couldn't help but join in the laughter until the entire crew deck was filled with it.

Mordin looked around at the people laughing around him. He seemed wholly drawn in by the phenomenon. "Fascinating. One individual can influence another with a simple laugh."

"Mordin," Dr. Chakwas droned as she gave the Salarian a dead pan stare and shoved another full glass in his direction. "Shut up and drink."


	2. Chapter 2

"Massani."

Zaeed turned around, duffel bag over his shoulder as he waited for Shepard to catch up to him. "Already told you, Commander," he shook his head. "My contract was for the Collectors only. They're dead and I've some personal business to take care of."

Commander Jane Shepard crossed her arms. "I'm not going to stop you, Zaeed." She smiled at the expectant look on his face, holding out her hand. "It's been a pleasure."

Zaeed looked down at Shepard's offered hand. The old merc shook his head and took her hand, his arrogant as hell sardonic smile on his face. "Hope you can survive without me watching your back, Shepard."

She smiled, unable to resist playing along one last time. "And not have to listen to you bitch and moan like Miranda with a hang-over? Hell, Zaeed. I'd call that heaven!"

The merc laughed as he turned back around and without so much as a good-bye, walked off.

"Where is that old geezer?" Shepard turned around as Jack came barreling down the ramp and grabbed Zaeed by his armor straps, dragging him along with her to the entrance to Omega. "You still owe me a drink, you cheap fuck."

Shepard turned back up the ramp, shaking her head as Zaeed used his favorite name for the unstable biotic and the two launched into a war of pet names of increasing vulgarity. She had no desire to watch the two of them bicker like drunk Krogan.

As Shepard headed toward the elevator, Samara left her quarters and approached her. She somehow looked more at peace as the door closed behind her. The Justicar bowed to Shepard, her hands behind her back. "My duty is fulfilled, Shepard. I thank you for all that you have done. Perhaps if circumstances were different, you would have made a fine Justicar." Samara allowed a smile to soften her face for an instant before the Justicar mask was brought back up.

"When the time comes, I will be at your side once more. For now, to quote a human sentiment, 'May the wind always be at your back'." The two grasped hands for a moment before Samara turned and left the Normandy, Joker checking her out as she left.

"Bye, Samara. Hate to see you go, love to watch you leave."

Shepard rolled her eyes and took the elevator down to the Engineering level. Repairs were still being done on the hull of the loading bay, and Shepard did not like the idea of leaving her ship in the hands of Batarians. Even if they were working for Aria and even if the Asari 'Queen of Omega' had found Shepard too interesting to betray at the moment, it still didn't make her feel any better.

The elevator doors opened and Garrus stepped out to Shepard's right. "You don't trust them either." Garrus smiled, nudging Shepard's shoulder, the two sharing a quiet laugh as they watched the repair crews work. "How long till they're done and we can get away from this cesspool?"

Shepard nudged Garrus back, her eyes scanning over the holes that had yet to be patched. "Two days, three max. Then we can head over to Illium without worrying about Joker's baby falling apart on him." Garrus nodded, his mandibles twitching with annoyance at the Batarians and Lystheni Salarians in the cargo bay of the Normandy. "After that, how about some shore leave? It's going to take a while to get the Normandy back up to snuff."

"Hmm... That's a nice thought," Garrus smirked as he wrapped his arm around Shepard's waist, dragging his talons over her ribs in a way that always made her shiver. "Just you and me, the kids on vacation."

Shepard laughed, running her forefinger along Garrus' scarred mandible. "Sounds like a plan, Mr. Vakarian. In the mean time, how about we get something to eat?"

* * *

Shepard hated Omega. It wasn't just that it was riddled with crime and corruption or that it had nearly been host to two tragedies. The Collector engineered virus and Garrus' near murder didn't haunt her 'what if' list nearly as much as they once did. What irritated her about Omega the most, was its 'Queen'. No one, not even Miranda or the Illusive Man could irritate the shit out of Shepard quite like Aria T'Loak.

The Illusive Man was a straight up asshole, no contest. Miranda had her moments but didn't come across to Shepard quite as 'holier than thou' any more. Sure she strutted around in that tight, black jumpsuit; but Shepard had to admit if she had a pair of tits and an ass like Miranda, she would probably be strutting around naked, herself. That would certainly give her enemies something to think about. No, Aria was unpredictable. What amused her one day, would end up pissing her off the next. Though most of her swings were calculated to keep her henchmen on their toes. Shepard had only seen Aria truly angry once after she had informed the Asari of a plot by one of the mercenary gangs to over throw her. The plotters who had survived 'Archangel' were still orbiting the station.

Shepard climbed the stairs to Aria's suite, the music already threatening to deafen her again as she fought the headache that was sure to come. Aria motioned to her right with the same self important jerk of her head. Shepard settled herself on the couch as Aria motioned to her guards. Something didn't sit right with the group when Aria sent her personal body guards away with a flick of her wrist. "Should I be afraid or flattered?"

Aria laughed as she pointed to her left for Garrus and Miranda to take a seat as well. "Why not both? The way we share enemies, Shepard, we should be lovers already."

"Excuse me," Shepard fought to keep her face straight with the look Garrus was giving the ruler of Omega. The poor Turian's mandibles were twitching in what Shepard had come to recognize as a mix of shock and irritation. Miranda was elbowing him in the thigh to get him to sit down all the way. Garrus had frozen in place with Aria's remark, nearly filling Miranda's vision with his rear end.

Aria smirked at Garrus as she watched him get comfortable in the couch. If she had noticed his reaction to her teasing, she said nothing about it. She was probably filing that little reaction a way for use as possible blackmail material. Even someone as powerful as Aria could never be too careful, or too observant. "I find myself in a very strange position, Shepard."

Commander Shepard noticed the almost uncomfortable look on Aria's face, coupled with the fact that she had sent her guards away and the shifty look in her eyes, and Shepard could figure out what had Aria so distracted pretty easily. "What do you need," Shepard kept her voice as neutral as she possibly could. What ever made Aria this nervous was definitely not something she would want to take lightly.

Aria smiled as she looked over her shoulder as one of the Asari dancers did a back bend on her pole that was making the men at the bar drool. "Seeing as you have cut ties with Cerberus and probably won't have the credits to pay for all the repairs my men have done," it was Shepard's turn to have an uncontrollable facial twitch. "and also since I don't like taking payment from organizations who are as, what is the word; xenophobic as Cerberus is, perhaps you can pay me in another way." Shepard made no move to interrupt though she did have the urge to dump Aria into the Citadel's protein vats. "An acquaintance of yours has been doing a little research for me. I need you to go to her. I am afraid that those who want me dead are soon going to wish the same for your friend and good information brokers are so hard to find."

"So you just want us to go to Illium, talk to this person and relay the information back to you?" Shepard could see the incredulous look on both Garrus and Miranda's faces. She tried to keep her face straight.

Aria shifted so that she was looking directly at Shepard, her right arm draped over the back of her seat. "Exactly, Shepard. I want you to make sure nothing happens to the broker as well. I meant what I said about you and I sharing enemies. After you relay to me what you have found, consider your debt paid." Shepard, Garrus and Miranda looked at each other. Miranda shrugged one of her shoulders as though to say that she was as understanding of Aria as Shepard was.

"Now get off my station. Specters are bad for business after all." Shepard shook her head and nearly ran out of Afterlife. Her head was pounding with the loud music and frustration with Aria's games.

"Commander Shepard," Shepard sighed as EDI's voice came over her comm.

"Yea, EDI." Shepard sighed. She hoped that none of the more volatile members of the crew didn't to test how mad they could make Aria and still live.

"Jack and Kasumi have not returned." Shepard groaned. The last thing anyone on Omega needed was Jack on the loose. "I also picked up a report of a stolen transport several hours ago. The description of the thief was human, female and covered in tattoos. No word on Kasumi." Shepard shook her head, thankful at least that Jack had not found a way to blow the entire station to dust. Kasumi's silence didn't surprise Shepard.

So that meant that they were minus four crew members, all of which had the potential to cause a massive amount of collateral damage and only one would feel any remorse over it. Shepard hurried toward the Normandy, eager to put as much distance between her and Omega in case one of those remaining on the station did something to bring Aria's wrath down on her. As soon as Shepard and her party boarded the Normandy, she gave the order for Joker to leave the docking bay.

The Commander stood behind Joker's station as Omega shrank into the distance as Joker sent the request to the Relay that did not lead back to the Collectors. The Relay shifted it's position and the board in front of Joker turned green. Shepard sighed as the Normandy began her approach to the Relay, Joker's voice providing the countdown. The enormous relic filled the view ports and space around them merged into a blur as the Normandy 'fell into' the mass effect bubble, the momentary feeling of vertigo like a sigh of relief.


	3. Chapter 3

Shepard braced herself as Liara threw her arms around her body in a hug that left Shepard's still healing ribs aching. "It's so good to see you, Commander!" Shepard chuckled and returned the hug. The young Asari seemed more like her youthful self rather than the hardened and wounded woman Shepard had left on Hagalaz as the new Shadow Broker. She likened her exuberance to a small puppy and the thought made Shepard's smile even brighter. Liara led Shepard to a couch up a set of stairs at the back of the main information hub. Feron seemed to be in his usual spot and gave the group a smile that seemed a little less forced than last time they had met.

"So..." Liara sat opposite Shepard, that subtle smile that always told Shepard she knew more than she was letting on crawled on to her face. "I hear you pissed off the Illusive Man." There was no question about how the former Prothean specialist felt about Shepard's choices, nor was Shepard the least bit surprised at Liara knowing what she had told The Illusive Man.

Shepard shrugged one shoulder. "I just don't trust the Illusive Man. I don't like his methods, never did. Unfortunately, the Council's opinion of me is tainted because of him." Shepard leaned back on the couch, relaxing against Garrus as she splayed her legs out as though to punctuate her exhaustion. "I can't even ask them to part with a little information let alone the credits needed to keep the Normandy running."

"I could loan you some information to convince them." The mischievousness in Liara's voice had had Shepard's curiosity piqued.

"It's - tempting," Shepard's voice faltered as she debated with herself whether or not to take the gift Liara offered. "But, no." Shepard shook her head, hoping she did not offend Liara. "The Council has it in for me enough already, I don't need blackmail added to my list of offences, Spectre or not."

"Of course, Commander. However, you do know that I have a soft spot for hard cases," Liara smiled at the one eyebrow lift Shepard gave her. "and I am going to give you what I can. The wonderfully diverse sex life of Councilor Valarn will have to wait."

"Liara..."

"Oh! Did I say that out loud?" Liara put her hand to her mouth, a very unconvincing look of shock on her face.

"Yes, you did." Shepard chuckled, shaking her head. "I have my own wonderful sex life right here." Shepard patted Garrus' knee, the look of smug male pride unmistakable on his face. "I don't need to read about Valarn's. But, while we're on the subject of people that annoy me; Aria asked me to retrieve something for her."

"Ah," Liara handed Shepard a data pad, sitting back to watch as she scanned through the information. It was as much for Shepard as it was for Aria. "And," Liara brought up her Omni-Tool and transfered a massive amount of data to Shepard. "here is what I promised you. You might even be able to make some credits off of it."

"Thanks, Liara." Shepard scanned over the data, noting with some surprise at how much of it there was. "I'll have something to read after I wear Garrus out, tonight.

Liara covered the snort with her fist, as Garrus' mandibles flared, his eyes wide as he regarded Shepard with an incredulous stare. "Wear me out? Oh, it's on now!"

Feron smiled as Liara descended into a giggling fit as Garrus and Commander Shepard, first human Spectre descended into taunts and ambiguous references to past dalliances while threatening repeats of 'stellar' performances loud enough to make the whole of the galaxy explode. The young Drell began to understand why Liara liked the two so very much.

* * *

Shepard rubbed her eyes, feeling like they were going cross. When Liara said that she had access to every piece of information in the galaxy, she was not exaggerating. Jane Shepard groaned as she felt two strong hands kneading the tense muscles of her shoulders. "Thank you, Garrus," she sighed as he worked the knots out with his strong hands.

"Any luck," he asked, running his hands through her hair, knowing that it always made her smile.

"Mm... some." Shepard sighed, leaning her head back. "Most of these are Intel reports from Liara's agents." Shepard was definitely not going to get used to that idea anytime soon.

"Anything interesting?" Garrus gently ran the backs of his claws down her neck and over her collar bones, making her muscles melt as she reclined her head against his chest.

Shepard sighed again. "You could say that. This one is from the Migrant Fleet and it looks like the Admirals have gotten in a kerfluffle about some tech - Oh shit." Garrus stopped his kneading of Shepard's shoulders as her muscles tensed.

"What is it?" He looked over her head and tried to find what had alarmed Shepard on her screen.

"Admiral Daro'Xen vas Moreh. I remember she sent me a message after we got Tali out of her little pickle." Garrus smiled, he always did enjoy that expression, though he did not completely understand why.

"And?"

"She's been getting into knock down, drag outs with Admiral Han'Gerrel vas Neema over what to do with Rael'Zorah's research."

Garrus' mandibles flared in surprise. "Tali's not going to like that."

"Neither is the Council. If these two got enough supporters, we could be looking at an outright civil war." Shepard, leaned back, tapping her bottom lip as she thought. "I wonder if Tali is still in contact with Kal'Reegar?"

Garrus watched as Shepard slipped back into Spectre mode, thinking how best to keep the galaxy from tearing itself apart. He leaned on the back of her chair as he watched her scan through the rest of the information. He was content to just sit back and watch her assume control. Garrus laughed at that thought, wondering how long it would take for those two words uttered together to stop giving him what Joker had called, the 'creepy crawlies'.

Another thing that gave him the 'creepy crawlies' was the odd gurgling noise coming from Shepard. The first time he had heard it, it had disturbed him to think that a Human's hunger could actually be 'heard'. It reminded him of the gurgle of partially blocked pipes that drained out of his shower while he was busy making enemies on Omega. "I can hear your stomach, Shepard."

"Uh huh," Shepard grunted, continuing to type out a message to Aria, already having decided that she did not want to go all the way back to Omega just to aim the data pad at her head.

Garrus waited until she had sent the message before he gently took her hands away from the keyboard, watching with some amusement when Shepard's fingers continued to move, her expression somewhat annoyed.

"I can't type like that, Garrus."

"That's the point, Shepard. You need to eat."

Shepard sighed and blew a strand of hair out of her face. "Ok. Just give me a few minutes, alright?"

Garrus nodded and released Shepard's hands and let her get back to work while he used the private bathroom. He came back out a few minutes later and was not the least bit surprised when Shepard had both the data pad and laptop in front of her and was working from both. He shook his head, he should have known better. Garrus slid his arms over the back of Shepard's chair and leaned down so that his head was right beside hers. "You're not helping anyone by starving yourself, Shepard."

"Mmm," Shepard whined as she drug Garrus closer, making him bend at the waist over the back of her chair. "I have my snack right here," she mumbled as she gently bit down on the tough skin of Garrus' neck, smiling as he threw his arms out to hold on to her arm rests as she made strange noises that almost sounded like 'Nom, Nom' against his neck. Garrus was not quite sure if he should be amused or turned on by the feel of her thin edged and surprisingly sharp teeth gently biting his flesh.

"Um," Garrus cleared his throat as he tried to pull away, stopped as Shepard locked her teeth on his skin, making his eyes go wide. He could feel just a small twinge of pain, and yet he knew for a fact that the woman could exert surprising strength with her bite. If she wanted to, she could tear his throat out right here and now. The thought aroused him enough to almost forget what he had been about to say. He was reminded by that same dangerous sound coming from her stomach. "I meant that you need to get some - oh, you are so evil, Jane." Garrus gripped the arm rests of Shepard's chair as she gently soothed the bite with her tongue. She definitely enjoyed it when he called her by her first name.

"What was that," she teased as she ran her fingernails under his chin, letting him feel their edge as she slowly drug them down his neck. She loved the feel of having him completely helpless.

"I said... I mean... Oh... Food!" Garrus finely got a hold of his raging desire as he picked Shepard up and slung her over his shoulder. "Enough of that, woman." He punctuated his order with a sharp tap on her rear end. "If you don't eat, your stomach's rumblings are going to scare Grunt away."

"If he does run away we'll be able to continue our mission to conquer the rest of the ship." She grinned at Garrus. "Next, Udina's desk."

"I am sure he would be thrilled," Garrus sarcastically drawled, imagining Udina's face if he knew that the two of them were planning on using his desk in such away. Councilor Anderson just might give them a medal if he quit. Shepard's stomach rumbled even louder, Garrus able to feel the vibration through his shoulder. "Come on, let's get some food in you before you shake the whole ship apart."

* * *

Garrus practically pushed Shepard out of the elevator and into the mess like a cart. He knew she was exhausted, however even the bane of all that was evil needed a good meal. He left her to serve herself from the warming bins. The mess was surprisingly empty for dinner since most of the crew were on their well deserved shore leave and Thane most likely meditating, that left only the essential crew to occupy the ship for the next month. "Mm..." Garrus followed the wonderful smell to Tali who was sipping something that looked an awful lot like Key'nar juice. He looked back into the kitchen and felt himself salivate. Across from the roasted chicken, potatoes and various vegetables, sat a covered plate as beautiful as his sniper rifle, Gardener beaming like he was showing off his first born. "Here ya go, Garrus. I got the ingredients this morning and with Tali's help, whipped this up for you."

Poached Koh'nok egg drizzled with B'henna pod sauce. His eyes went to Tali who was sipping her drink and looking very satisfied with herself. He suddenly felt a swell of affection for the Quarian mechanic as he brought the plate to the table, followed by Shepard. Tali already had a mug of chilled Key'nar juice waiting for him. Shepard examined the egg as Garrus cracked the top and took a small piece of meat from inside. The look on his face was one of pure ecstasy and Shepard could not help the grin that grew on her face. The shell looked like a massive Robin's egg complete with darker blue spots. The meat was white like any egg she had eaten but the yolk was the prettiest sapphire she had ever seen. Combined with the amethyst of the B'henna pod sauce, it looked almost too pretty to eat. The roasted chicken on her plate seemed drab in comparison.

"So," Tali sat her glass down as she watched Garrus devour her cooking. "How is it?" She and Shepard broke out into laughter as Garrus tried to describe how his food tasted only to sound like his entire mouth had gone numb and he nearly choked on the egg in his attempt. Donnelly slapped Garrus on the back as he took a drink of the deep purple juice.

"Thanks," Garrus had finely found his voice. "I said it's delicious." He shoveled a few more bites into his mouth. "Beats nutrient paste any day."

Shepard leaned toward Tali, "You have any other recipes?"

"Of course, Shepard." Tali used her Omni-tool to transfer a few recipes to Shepard. "As human's say, 'The best way to a man's heart is through his stomach.' " That saying seemed to be true of Turian men as well. "Though, let me know if you want to try the more complex ones. Those need another set of hands."

"Kinky." Tali whipped her head around in time to see Donnelly's lecherous grin.

"It's always the quiet ones," Garrus chuckled as Tali covered her visor with her hands.

"Keela!"


	4. Chapter 4

"Ah, Shepard." Shepard turned as she heard Mordin's voice call to her from the mess. The Salarian doctor had a cup of warm tea in one hand and a data pad in the other while his omni-tool was illuminated at the same time. "Taking break from Vrolik's cure, wish to speak to you." His eyes glanced in the direction that Shepard had been walking in before he had called her and Shepard swore that his eyes twinkled at her. "When finished in Forward Battery, of course."

_That smarmy little..._ "Sure, Mordin. I'll be right down." Shepard watched as Mordin smiled before quickly walking back to the elevator, wondering how in the world he could operate both a data pad and omni-tool with out spilling a drop of his tea. Shepard shook her head and continued to the Forward Battery. She didn't care that Gardener and several other crew members had heard the little exchange, she and Garrus' relationship was old hat. They were all more consumed with gossip about how Scale Itch had gotten on the Normandy and were currently taking bets as to who had carried it aboard; Grunt, Kelly or Tali. Shepard's money was on Kelly. If it was Kelly, then Zaeed would be having one hell of an awful time right now.

Shepard chuckled to herself as she waited for the doors to the Forward Battery to open, Garrus looking at her with mild curiosity. Shepard shook her head and leaned on the rail to Garrus' right, watching as the Turian finished with his calibrations. "Do you like staring at my ass, Commander Shepard?" Garrus fluttered his mandibles when Shepard's eyes slowly raked down his body then back up, quirking her brow at him. "I didn't think you came all the way down here just to enjoy the view, Commander." He gave her a broad grin. "Though I wouldn't blame you for falling for the most handsome man on this ship."

"Cocky Bastard," Shepard laughed. "I was actually going to ask you if the repairs to the main gun met with your approval."

"Oh, Shepard? Which one; The gun that EDI fires or the one you like setting off every chance you get?"

Shepard lifted her eyebrow again. "I wasn't aware that my favorite gun had to be taken in for repairs." She sauntered forward and forcefully turned Garrus so that he was facing the doors, his claws holding onto the console. "I need to inspect the workmanship for myself."

Garrus' mandibles flew as wide as his eyes as he watched Shepard slowly kneel in front of him. "Sh - Shepard?" She had her fingers at his waist, undoing the releases on his armor in record time before Garrus' mind finely caught up enough to lock the doors from his console. He couldn't take his eyes off of his Commander. "Spirits, Shepard!"

* * *

"You wanted to talk, Mordin?"

"Ah! Yes, Shepard. Been working on treatment for Thane. Struck by sudden idea from conversation with Miranda." The Salarian bustled about his lab as he sat out the equipment he would need. "But, first, an Analgesic." Shepard took the offered pill with a puzzled look on her face. "Skin around mouth becoming swollen. Would not recommend repeating fallacio without proper protection."

Shepard smirked and took the pill along with the offered glass of water, watching as Mordin set his equipment up. For a person who had no interest in sex he sure did know an awful lot about it. She made a face as the pill went down but she did start to feel a little less pinched in the face as it took effect. "Ok, what do you need me for, Mordin?"

"Hoping to develop treatment for Keprals. Was speaking to Miranda, mentioned nano-machines used in reconstruction and healing. Would like a sample."

Shepard smirked, shaking her head as she held out her arm. "How much blood you need, doc?"

"Not blood," Mordin picked up something that looked like a long syringe with a larger gauge needle. "Will need lung tissue sample." Mordin backed up a step, his eyes suddenly concerned. "Never seen human turn green. Adverse reaction to Analgesic? No, no; would have had reaction sooner. Intestinal ailment? No, showed no signs before." Mordin narrowed his eyes. "Trypanophobia? Afraid of needles, Shepard," he asked, incredulity edging into his voice.

"Where are you going to stick that thing?"

Mordin put the syringe back down on the tray and removed his hand from any where near it until Shepard stopped staring at it. "Not to worry, Shepard. Needle will be inserted between third and fourth rib, small sample taken before application of medi-gel. Will deaden area with local anesthetic if pain a problem."

Shepard gulped and reminded herself that she was doing this for a good friend. "Ok. Just be quick." She unbuttoned her shirt. "Before I change my mind."

Mordin nodded and motioned for Shepard to sit on a chair with her back toward him. "There, now lean forward." He spread a skin numbing liquid over the area he had chosen. "Exhale, slowly." He waited until she was relaxed before he pushed the needle into her skin. At first she felt nothing but as it penetrated the muscle wall of her ribs, she flinched, inhaling quickly. "I apologize for any discomfort, Shepard." Mordin continued to push the needle into her back until he met light resistance. Slowly he pulled the plunger and a tube of soft, pink tissue slid into the reservoir of the syringe.

He quickly extracted the needle and smoothed a small dollop of medi-gel onto the site, noting with some interest that the incision was already sealing itself shut. No doubt the tissue he had extracted would be replaced as well within the day. "There, all done."

Shepard sighed, straightening her back as she slid her shirt back on. "Is that what it looks like?" She looked at the tissue sample closely, a combination of curiosity and disgust on her face. "You think you can get anything useful from that?"

Mordin was already separating the sample into different vials for different tests. "Of course, Shepard. Samples should do nicely. Will let you know if I need more."

Shepard opened her mouth to protest but she decided to let the matter go. "Right. I'll let you get back to work." She waved, letting the door close behind her.

"Shepard," Kelly turned toward the lab as the doors opened. "You have a new message at your private terminal."

Shepard nodded and made her way over to the terminal on the left side of the galaxy map. The first message was short and simple; "You had better be worth the trouble." Shepard hated cryptic messages. Especially cryptic messages from Aria. What ever it was that Aria had seen in the information had her on edge enough to not trust even encrypted comm-buoy channels.

The sender of the next message brought a smile to Shepard's face, though when she read it, she had to resist the urge to slam her head against the wall. This news would make all their lives much harder. And they just left Illium, too.

"Kelly," Shepard turned to her secretary, forgetting all about wagers and STD's. "Get everyone in the mess in ten minutes, Joker included. I think the first piece of shit just hit the fan."

"Of course, Commander." Kelly watched as Shepard got into the elevator, worry wrinkling the skin between her brows.

* * *

Shepard waited in the mess, leaning on Gardeners table, staring down at the floor as every member of the crew piled in, each taking a seat. Kelly came in last trailed by Joker as he hobbled over to an open seat next to Dr. Chakwas and Grunt. The crew looked rested and refreshed after their month of shore leave and Shepard felt a twinge of guilt at the information she was about to give them.

"Sup, Commander," Joker piped up as Shepard got lost in her thoughts again. "You look like someone pissed in your coffee."

Chakwas spluttered, wipping coffee from her chin with the back of her hand. "Needlessly graphic, yet oddly appropriate," Thane mused, leaning against the bulkhead.

"Urinating in coffee," Mordin stroked his chin. "Meant as disrespect? Would be deadly if Hanar urine used."

"Shit," Joker pulled his cap off of his head and hid his face with it. "I'm gonna shut up now."

"Please, do," Tali shook her head, looking over her shoulder with annoyance as Grunt laughed at Joker's embarrassment.

"You walked right into that one, Joker," Shepard laughed, shaking her head. "But, I called you all here for a different reason." The banter died down as all of their attention was focused on their Commander. "As you have probably figured out by now, we pissed off The Illusive Man."

"He deserved it, Shepard," Donnelly piped up. "He's lucky Miranda didn't hack his location and send Grunt to stick his dick in his eye."

"You're such a poet," Gabby covered her eyes. "Geez, now I can't get that image out of my head."

Grunt sneered. "You Humans are weird."

"So says the man with four testicles," Donnelly shot back.

Grunt actually laughed. "Yea, and all of 'em's got a female chasing after it."

"Great," Garrus put his hand over his eyes. "Now I'll be trying to scrub that image out of my head for the next week."

"Heh! Your welcome, Vakarian."

"Don't mention it. Ever." Garrus turned to Shepard. "When are we going to release him on Tuchanka? We keep him around here and he's likely going to start humping the first thing that can't get away. Which will probably be the entire ship."

"Damn, I would almost pay to see that!" Joker leaned away from Grunt as the young Krogan narrowed his eyes dangerously. "If he does that, I designate Miranda as the ship's flotation device."

Shepard coughed as she tried to get her laughter under her control. Oh, how she loved them all right now. "Ok, ok. Miranda, no killing Joker yet. We might need him."

"You 'might' need me?"

"But to get back to why I called you all here." Shepard cleared her throat. "I just got a message from Councilor Anderson. It seems Cerberus has put out a bounty on the Normandy."

"What?" The entire mess exploded as nearly everyone shot up from their chairs.

"He's mad!" Miranda pounded her fist on the table. "He knows the Reapers are coming! He knows what we're all up against! What could he possibly gain by hindering our efforts?"

Shepard shrugged one shoulder. "The only thing I can come up with is either leverage or a PR stunt."

"Well," Joker scratched his head. "could be he wants the entire galaxy to pay attention to what we're doing? More eyes watching the skies and all."

Shepard crossed her arms and leaned back. "That's as good a reason as any, Joker. But I still don't trust him. What ever his reasons, he's going to make our lives difficult for the time being. The bounty isn't all that large for a ship this size, but he's accused me, Garrus, Grunt, Joker and Tali of stealing Cerberus intelligence, technology and property."

"So what's the Council going to do," Jacob asked, folding his arms over his chest as he leaned back and put his feet on the table. "They gonna send another Spectre after you?"

Shepard shook her head. "Not yet. Anderson assured me that right now, all they want to do is stay as far away from me politically as possible. From what he wrote me it almost seemed like they were proud." She chuckled. "But right now, it's a Cerberus affair. If the Alliance wants to get involved, they can," Shepard shrugged. "However, I need to make sure that you're all still in." The crew glanced at each other. "We're still close enough to Illium to dock and let anyone off who doesn't want any part of this."

"Are you trying to get rid of us, Shepard?" Gabby seemed absolutely flabbergasted.

Donnelly made his decision known by staying right in his chair, arms crossed over his chest. "You're going to have to shove us out the air lock, Shepard."

Garrus stepped up beside Shepard and put his arm around her waist, his forehead touching hers. "And you're going to need Wrex and Grunt both to pry me from your side."

"Na, life would be too boring without you throwing us into impossible situations." Joker grinned. "Were gonna follow you where ever you go, Shepard. We're kind of like a fart that way."

"Humans are weird," Grunt repeated, shaking his head. "But, yea, what the scrawny pilot said."

Shepard looked around at her crew, her eyes settling on Gardener. "Well... someone's got to feed all these hungry people. Can't expect you to cook for yourselves and not blow the whole damn ship up."

"Is this how you all feel?" Shepard smiled as she got a resounding "Yes!" from them all. She seemed to soften for a moment, her arm slipping around Garrus' waist as she settled her head on his shoulder. "Then I guess you had all better get back to your stations." She smiled. "Next stop; sunny Tuchanka."

"YES!" Grunt pumped his fist in the air as he headed for the elevator.

Joker snickered. "Save some of that for the females, Grunt. Lord knows we don't need it all over the walls."

Shepard laughed, truly laughed for the first time in two years.


	5. Chapter 5

"Remind me, again, why I agreed to this?"

"As I recall," Thane smiled, folding his hands as he leaned his chin against them. "Lt. Baily espoused on the student aid programs available to C-Sec officers in training and your chances for advancement at the completion of your education. You could not say yes fast enough."

Kolyat shook his head, leaning back in his chair until he was scrunched up like a petulant child on the receiving end of a lecture. "Yea. That part I remember. What I don't remember is Bailey telling me that I would be trained by 'her'."

"And what is wrong with your training officer, Kolyat?"

"If what half the shit the other officers are telling me about her is true, I might not survive." Kolyat sat up at his father's half amused curiosity. "They call her 'Sargent Slaughter' behind her back. Less than half the recruits she's trained have made it and I think the other officers are trying to warm me that she's a cannibal. They told me 'She eats kids like you for breakfast'." Kolyat buried his head in his hands at Thane's blank expression. "And that isn't even the worst part! She's the fucking 'Butcher of Torfan'," Kolyat whined as he cradled his head in his hands. "I am so dead."

"I am sure, Kolyat, that the tales of her eating 'kids like you' are not true." Thane chuckled. "The other officers may be playing a prank on you. It seems to be a common practice to do so in high stress environments."

"Are you sure?"

Thane had to hold back the urge to laugh at the look his son was giving him. "Yes, Kolyat. I am sure. However, to be certain you do not catch her ire, please refrain from such colorful embellishments when speaking to her."

Kolyat sighed and slumped back in his chair, sifting his brain for anything to change the subject "So," he smiled after he remembered the news feed he had seen earlier that morning. "I hear my father's a pirate."

Thane shook his head and sighed, giving his son a half smile.

"You know, I over heard two of the human officers talking about that. They couldn't seem to get over the fact that one of the 'Cerberus Pirates' is a 'ninja'." Kolyat smirked as Thane nearly inhaled his tea, laughing as he cleared his throat. "So you've heard the debate, as well?"

"Yes," Thane cleared his throat one more time. "The Engineers seem preoccupied with whether or not the entire universe will implode by having one person be both things." Thane chuckled, remembering that Tali had very nearly throttled Kenneth when the man would not stop speaking like the high-seas pirates of Earth's past.

Kolyat cleared his throat, running his two fused fingers over his brow. Thane observed that he always did that when he was unsure of what to say. He reminded Thane so much of Iriccah. "Well," Kolyat sighed as he looked at the clock on his bedside table. "I should get to bed. Long day tomorrow." Thane nodded.

"You have to be up early. I understand," he smiled, setting his tea aside. "I enjoy our chats, no matter how short."

"Yea... same here." Thane took Kolyat's short answer to mean he had already over stayed. He reached forward to cut the feed. "Wait." Thane stopped, his finger hovering just over the controls. "I... Be careful, Dad."

Thane nodded, a genuine smile pulling at his lips. "I will, my son. Arashu guide and protect you." Kolyat tried to hide his smile as he ended the transmission.

Thane closed the laptop quietly and leaned back in his chair, slipping into memories of better times.

* * *

"Shepard," Tali strode in as the door to Shepard's quarters opened. Commander Shepard looked up from her data pad, watching as Tali started pacing. "I contacted Kal'Reeger. When you told me what Admiral Daro'Xen was doing I -," Tali paced the room, wringing her hands. "I didn't want to believe it. I still don't."

She shook her head as Shepard stepped in front of her and put her hands on her shoulders. "Tali, why don't you sit down before you wear a rut in the floor."

Tali smiled, nodding as she let Shepard guide her over to the couch so that the two could speak face to face. "Alright," Tali took a deep breath.

"How is Reeger?" Shepard tried to start with small talk, noting that Tali seemed on the verge of tears.

"Kal'Reeger? Oh, he's doing fine." Shepard detected the smile in Tali's voice without having to see her face. "Since the Geth were... well converted, he's been able to use the facilities orbiting Haestrom to continue studying Dholen." She smiled again. "He's very gifted with electronics," Tali cleared her throat.

"He sounds like you're sweet on the guy." Shepard smiled, happy to entertain this small distraction. If anyone deserved to find love, Tali did.

"No!" Tali held up her hands. "I mean, it's not that he isn't a good man. Or that I don't like him. I do. I just- Is it getting hot in here?" Tali started wringing her hands again. "Why did I come here, again?"

Shepard laughed as Tali became flustered. "You said something about wanting to punch Daro'Xen."

"Well... not punch, Shepard." Tali smiled, hoping that her blushing could not be seen through her visor. "I'd rather shoot her, throw her out the air lock or toss her into a pen of hungry Varren."

"You might give the Varren indigestion."

"Yes, well," Tali smiled, finely putting her hands in her lap. "It seems from what Kal'Reeger told me, Liara's information is correct. But, there is more to it." She sighed. "You see, ever since my father's research was discovered, the Admirals have been fighting over how best to use it, or even to use it at all." She shook her head. "You saw their squabbling at my trial. Well, now imagine that magnified. You know that Daro'Xen wants to bring the Geth back under Quarian control, right? Well, Han'Gerrel wants to utterly destroy them which is... more than unwise. Imagine the hatred the rest of the Galaxy would have for us if we embroiled it yet again in a protracted war?"

Tali sighed and leaned against the couch. "And Zaal'Koris... I know that his objections to my father's work had more to do with not wanting more Quarians to die from an all out war. Because, either way you look at it, destroying or controlling them would cost many lives. But, I just don't thing that we have the kind of time needed to find another home world. But, many Quarians share his views. And this is where it's getting ugly, Shepard." Shepard draped her arm over the back of the couch as she listened. "Daro'Xen and Han'Gerrel have been gathering supporters to themselves in the hopes of trumping the other's agenda with a majority. But there are plenty who support Zaal'Koris and are tired of all the fighting. And then there are those who see no point in finding another home world. That the Quarian people should continue to live aboard the Flotilla since it is all we have ever known.

"I never thought I would live to see my people divided so deeply, Shepard. I'm scared that this will break the Flotilla apart. I don't think we could ever recover from that, Shepard. Not just from the political or social upheval. We simply don't have the resources; not the ships or food or even people to be split like that."

"No one is attacking each other, I hope."

"Oh no. Thank goodness it has not come to that yet. I just... I'm worried. I know that the Admirals think they are doing what is best for the Flotilla, but some things run deeper than just differences of opinion, Shepard. Maybe I am just being paranoid. But, if Kal'Reegar is worried, I can't help but be worried as well."

Shepard nodded. "I got the impression, from your trial, that he had a pretty good grasp of Quarian politics. I think maybe you should stay in contact with him. To keep abreast of the Flotilla, at least." Tali blushed at Shepard's double meaning.

Both were startled by a chuckle from across the room as Garrus pushed himself off of the wall and descended the stairs. "This is a pleasant sight to come home to."

"Ah, I just remembered I have some calibrations to do." Tali quickly made her way to the door, looking back at Shepard, a smile on her face. "I wouldn't want to get in the way of any flying heat-sinks."

Shepard cackled as Tali left, falling over at the look of utter shock on Garrus' face.

* * *

Shepard smiled as she listened to Garrus grumble to himself as he had Thane scour every square millimeter of her quarters for listening devices and cameras. Poor Garrus had been afraid to remove his eye piece until Thane had declared the room clean. Shepard bent over the sink as she washed her face, the mirror fogged from her shower. As she dried her face, her eyes looking into the frosted glass in front of her, Shepard caught a flash of blue. She stopped drying her face, focusing her eyes on her reflection in the mirror. For a moment... Shepard shook her head and slipped her boxers and tank top on, throwing her towel in the hamper.

"Shepard, you look like you just saw a - ghost, is it?" Garrus turned toward her as she exited her bathroom, slightly concerned with the look on her face.

"For a second... No, it was nothing. Probably just my eyes playing tricks on me after staring at that data pad all day." Garrus chuckled as he removed his armor and sat it on the side table.

"My eyes would go fuzzy, too, if I had to stare at that thing all day." He slipped under the covers, wrapping his arms around her body as he laid his head on the pillow. "You probably just need some sleep." Shepard nodded as she laid her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes as her fingers played with the ridges along his chest as the lights went out in her cabin.


	6. Chapter 6

"What can I do for you, Councilor?" Shepard stood at parade rest, her hands clasped behind her back. Councilor Anderson looked as though he had aged years since she had last seen him when her Spectre status was reinstated. His temples were sprinkled with silver and his face held a perpetual pinched scowl that made his smile seem forced.

The Councilor's hologram held up it's hand. "At ease, Shepard. This isn't an official call." He waited until Shepard had shifted her stance until she was relaxed. She felt an easy smile come to her face as she crossed her arms over her chest and settled her weight on her left hip.

"I didn't know you were sentimental, Anderson." Shepard relaxed further when an almost genuine smile lit Anderson's face. "My offer still stands. You still have time to flip off Velarn, punch Udina and fulfill your childhood fantasy of running away with the first human Spectre and her crew of misfits."

Councilor Anderson chuckled as he tugged at the collar of his jacket. "My answer is the same as it was before, Shepard. Someone has to keep Udina in line." The annoyed look that flickered across Anderson's face left Shepard's smile lopsided.

"You don't trust him?"

"He has his uses," Anderson admitted, "but after the situation involving Captain Bailey and Executor Pallin, I don't know."

Shepard furrowed her brow. "I heard about that. Garrus never liked Pallin, but I doubt Udina would go that far to get him out of the way only to have another turian take his place."

Anderson chuckled, shaking his head. "Speaking of which, how is Garrus?"

Shepard sighed, rubbing her neck where his mark just barely showed under the collar of her uniform. "Honestly? He's good. Lost about a thousand credits to Tali at Skillian Five Poker," she shook her head, smirking. "I told him not to fall for her innocent act."

"How are you holding up, Jane," Anderson asked, frowning as Shepard just shrugged. "I know I can't offer you much more than my personal support."

Shepard shook her head. "Don't worry about money, David. I built up quite a store of credits outside of what Cerberus paid us. Miranda even worked a bit of magic and got the commissions coming in from all the mineral finds I staked out a few years ago. We're fine."

"I'm talking about you personally?" Anderson scrutinized the Commander closely. "Those bags under your eyes can't only be from Poker nights with the crew."

Shepard smiled, a rueful edge to the curve of her mouth. It seemed to creep in more and more these days.

"Nightmares, again?"

Shepard nodded, her shoulders sagging. "I miss the days when I could sleep all night long." She looked around as though to make sure no one was there to overhear her. "Can you keep a secret, David? Just between you and me?"

"You know you don't have to ask, Shepard. What ever it is, is safe with me."

She blew a breath out through her nose, gathering her courage. "I didn't have much time to take stock after I woke up. I can't even tell you the last time I really looked at myself in a mirror," Shepard wrapped her arms tightly around herself. "Sometimes, when I can't sleep and my mind runs away with me, I wonder if Cerberus couldn't rebuild my brain so they made an A.I. and shoved it into my head."

"I doubt that, Shepard." Anderson smiled, his tone softening. "I've known you for quite some time and I think your original crew would have noticed if something was amiss."

Shepard sighed, Anderson's words were more comforting than all the Illusive Man's platitudes combined.

"Before I forget, Shepard, your mother has been chewing my ear off to get some time to speak with you."

She shook her head, running her hands through her hair. "I know. I just- I just don't know how she would react to seeing me like this." She shook her head. "There were some things that Cerberus couldn't replace. And what they could replicate, they 'enhanced' with weaves and cybernetics. Hell, I'd probably survive a fall from the top of the Presidium Tower at full Earth gravity with all the 'upgrades' they did."

"Shepard. How much of you is still," Anderson pursed his lips, searching for the right word, "organic?"

"You mean human?" Shepard voiced what he didn't want to say, and deep down, didn't want to know. "The only thing organic from the neck up is my skin and my brain."

"Not even your eyes?" Anderson had a distinctly disturbed look on his face.

Shepard shook her head. "I was still conscious when they," she swallowed hard, "when they exploded." She shifted her shoulders as she pushed that particular memory from her mind. "I wish the beacons had a good recipe for a sleep aid stored on them. I still can't make heads or tails of most of the crap in here," Shepard smirked as she tapped a finger on her forehead.

"You still dream about the beacons?"

"A little here and there." She pinched the bridge of her nose as though to stop a headache from starting. "Mostly my own mind just starts piecing the parts together into the worst snuff film in history. Sometimes, when I wake up, I wonder how the hell we can survive against the Reapers."

"We may. And we may not, Shepard." Anderson raised his hands to the controls. "But we wouldn't be humans if we didn't routinely throw ourselves at impossible odds, would we?"

Shepard smiled as Anderson's image faded, leaving her with the holographic image of the Normandy. "Aye, Aye Captain."

* * *

Kolyat shifted nervously from one foot to the other, smoothing out the sleeves of his uniform again as he rode the elevator up to the Presidium. He had visited the Citadel several times and had never had the clearance to enter the Presidium. It was certainly as beautiful as he had heard and he took a moment to absorb it all before he headed toward the Ambassadorial Suites where the Executor's office was located.

"Ah... Kolyat," Executor Chellick stood up and reached over his desk to clasp his hand in a friendly greeting. "This is Kolyat," he introduced the younger Drell as another person stood. Kolyat felt himself shrink visibly from the woman scrutinizing him with eyes nearly the color of fire. "Kolyat, this is Captain Hudspeth." He didn't let on if he took any amusement at the young Drell's squirming under his training officer's sharp gaze.

After what seemed like an eternity, Hudspeth held out her hand. "Kolyat," she said, keeping her greeting to a simple statement of his name.

Kolyat took the offered hand, and noted with some relief that she didn't try to crush his. He had heard that humans view this as a test of strength and resolve and would often enter into contests to see who would let go first before they cracked a bone. "Captain Hud-," he tried to say her name, however, the odd placement of sounds tripped him up for a moment. "Um, sorry. Hust- Hudspeth."

Much to his relief, her only response to his difficulty was a small smirk. "Yes, well," Chellick snapped his mandibles to his face to hide his amusement, "as you probably are aware," Chellick returned to business as Hudspeth continued to observe him, "most of our recruits come from the military or have other valuable skills we need. We don't usually take on untested recruits." The turian Executor leaned back in his chair and folded his hands over his carapace. "But we can't exactly call you 'untested' can we?"

Kolyat squirmed in his chair and had to grip the arm rests tightly to keep himself from bolting out of the Executor's office. Chellick seemed to take his discomfort as a good sign, because his mandibles lowered and flicked out slightly in a reassuring smile. "Relax, kid," he smiled again, "if I didn't think you had potential, I wouldn't have agreed to this." He gestured to the other officer. "And neither would she."

Kolyat cleared his throat, sure that the noise he made was somewhat amusing to his training officer from the small lift of her eyebrows that broke the stern demeanor. "He seems a bit green, Chellick." Kolyat wondered what it was about strength that made every word from a woman's mouth into an order. He would have to ask his father sometime if that was what the women he traveled with were like.

"A little," Chellick conceded, making Kolyat wonder what the hell being 'green' meant in this case. It certainly had nothing to do with his coloration. "But that's what you're here for, Captain."

The Captain chewed the inside of her mouth a moment, seemingly deep in thought. "I suppose I could potty train one more before you send me out to pasture."

Chellick laughed, shaking his head. "Send you out to pasture?" He seemed thoroughly entertained by the notion. "I doubt even the Council could keep you behind that desk any longer than you want." He shook his head again and stood, the Captain and Kolyat doing the same. "I wouldn't be so cruel as to promote you into a desk job. I wouldn't wish the headache on anyone."

The Captain, smirked at the Executor's words and shook his hand in parting, Kolyat doing the same. "Come on, kid. We might as well get started while there's still 'daylight'." Kolyat followed Hudspeth out of the Ambassadorial suites and into C-Sec Academy. "First things, first," she started, walking toward the firing range. "we're going to teach you how to fire a weapon."

"I think I already know how to use one." Kolyat groused, earning him a rather stern glare from the Captain.

"Yes. That was right beautiful work you did, using tungsten rounds in a pistol specifically designed for graphite." She scoffed at the way his mouth opened in an almost response before he clicked it shut again. "You're lucky the Commander punched you before it blew up in your hand." She handed him a Carnifex machine pistol, letting him test the weight. "Go ahead." She gestured at the practice targets before putting ear plugs into her ears.

Kolyat shivered as he watched the plugs go in. He would never get used to watching a human stick something that far into their skulls. His were nothing more than slightly tacky pieces of gauze designed to keep the membrane from vibrating too violently. He applied these before he aimed the Carnifex, fired and nearly hit himself in the head with the recoil.

He rubbed his forehead, glaring at the Captain as she chuckled and shook her head. "Still think you know how to fire a gun with the proper ammo?"

Kolyat made a sour face, rubbing his wrist. The Commander was right, he thought dejectedly. He had a lot to learn.


	7. Chapter 7

Shepard sighed as she plopped down in her chair, eyes unfocused as they scanned over the group picture the frame on her desk held. "And then there were six."

Grunt was now on Tuchanka, and likely would remain there for quite a while as he completed the rituals required before each mating request was accepted. Shepard shook her head at the memory of Grunt's initiation into Clan Urdnot. She both envied and was exasperated by Krogan politics. On the one hand, it was simple and straight forward. On the other hand, head butting Uvank just to get him to shut up gave her one hell of a headache while fighting the Thresher Maw. She was thankful she had remembered to bring the CAIN with her, and even more so as she got to use it to send Uvank sky high, laughing hysterically as he went screaming through the air and into the distance.

Mordin had returned to Sur'Kesh, not to retire, but to begin working on a new modification to the Genophage with his old assistant Maelon. Shepard had been surprised when he had walked right into her quarters and announced his decision. Not just because it was two in the morning and not just because she and Garrus were in identical states of undress, but because of the set of his jaw and the determination in his eyes. It was clear that he had thought long and hard about his decision. Shepard, of course, had been happy that Mordin had taken up his former assistant's banner, but also, she was sad to see a good friend leave.

Shepard leaned back in her chair, laced her fingers over her stomach and just watched the reflection from the huge, empty fish tank on the ceiling, getting lost in the random patterns of blue on silver. She sighed as her eyes drifted closed as memories bubbled to the surface with no rhyme or reason.

She watched with still palpable awe as her mother buttoned up her blue uniform as the entire ship made ready for inspection.

As a teenager aboard the Einstein, she wondered when her mother would stop reacting with a wince when ever someone mentioned Mindoir.

She woke up every night after only a few hours of sleep, the silence momentarily frightening her into thinking that somehow, the engines or air filters had stopped working. Annoyed with herself and anxious about the amp implantation in the morning, she punched her faded blue pillow and tried to get back to sleep.

She was unable to hide the annoyance on her face at the blue eyed turian opposite her in the sparring ring. "That's good... for an asari toddler. Now, are you going to hit me or throw a temper tantrum?" She was supremely pissed when he still laughed at her when she threw him up against the wall. He still gave her advice and just enough hints for her to figure her own abilities out. "Good job," the turian flashed her a grin as he picked himself up off the floor, brushing dust off of his pants. "With fury like that, it's almost a shame you weren't born turian."

Shepard started as her laptop chimed that she had a private message. She rubbed her face and sat up in her chair as she opened the message. "Incoming message from Admiral Stephen Hackett, Alliance HQ." Shepard's eyebrows rose as the comm announced who the message was from. It had been a long time since she had heard from Hackett and Shepard was immediately concerned as she saw the level of encryption the message had. What ever the Admiral wanted, it was not for anyone else to know about.

"Commander Shepard," Jane could already hear the strain in Hackett's voice with just her name spoken. "I need to discuss a sensitive matter with you privately." Shepard entered a series of codes to both confirm her identity and enable the encryption to open fully, projection the image of Admiral Hackett on the thin pane of glass holding her ship collection.

"Commander, thank you for your time. I'll keep this brief." Shepard recognized those two phrases. They usually meant, 'Thank God you answered' and 'You aren't going to like this'. Usually in that order.

"We have a deep-cover operative in batarian space. Name's Doctor Amanda Kenson." Shepard could practically feel the hackles on her neck rising. "Dr. Kenson recently reported that she found evidence of an imminent Reaper invasion."

"Why go directly to me and not Alliance brass or the Council?" Shepard would have loved to watch Councilor Valarn squirm as he was given proof that the "Reapers" were real and about to invade.

"Just this morning, I received word that the batarians arrested her. They are holding her on a secret prison outpost on terrorism charges." Shepard sighed. It didn't take much to get arrested for terrorism in batarian space. You were pretty much a suspect if you breathed and were able to use more than one brain cell to reason with. "I need you to infiltrate the prison and get her out. As a favor to me, I'm asking you to go in alone."

Shepard nodded. She knew what Hackett was asking her to do. By going in alone, she kept the Alliance and the Citadel Council out of any blow back politically. If she was caught, the batarian's would not have any ammunition against anyone but herself. And both the Alliance and the Citadel could enact plausible deniability, name Shepard a Rogue Spectre and have her executed.

So much for having at least a few months before the Reapers decided to show their ugly faces. "What is Dr. Kenson actually doing out there?" No use going into a situation with out the right information.

"She's a deep-cover operative, Shepard. We talk only when we have to."

"Right, stupid question."

"I had heard that she was investigating a Reaper artifact in the system. Her last report said she'd found it."

"The batarians aren't going to take kindly to the Alliance breaking into one of their prisons." Shepard wasn't keen on starting a war between the Alliance and Hegemony, even if there had been saber rattling for the better part of a decade.

"This is not an Alliance operation." Shepard tilted her head at the subtle change in Hackett's voice. It sounded like a plea. "It's just one person going in to save a friend. If you break her out, of course the batarians will be upset. Just keep this quiet, Shepard," there was that plea again. "and there will be nothing to worry about."

Shepard took a deep breath and told her gut to shut up. Of course this had trap written all over it, but Hackett was an old friend. And if an old friend needed a friend rescued, then she would do it. "I'll make this a priority."

"Thank you, Shepard. The prison is hidden underground at a batarian outpost on Aratoht. I'll upload the coordinates to you." Shepard checked her omni-tool, nodding to herself as the coordinates confirmed that the system was indeed deep in batarian space. "Once she is secure, confirm her discovery. We'll debrief you when you're back."

"Got it," Shepard nodded, saluting to the Admiral as he cut the communication. After the screen went back to transparent, she slowly sat back down in her chair. All she had to do was keep this under wraps...

"Commander Shepard," Jane winced as Miranda's voice invaded her thoughts through her comm. "I picked up a heavily encrypted message sent to your private terminal." Shepard just barely kept herself from laughing. "Was it anything important, Commander?"

Shepard quirked her lips, shaking her head. "Just personal business, Miranda."

"Oh." Shepard had to smile at the disappointment in her voice. "Well, if you need anything, Shepard, I'm here."

"I know, Miranda." She smiled, hating that she had to lie to someone she considered a sister. A bossy, nosy big sister, but a sister all the same. "Thank you."

With a deep breath she lifted herself out of her chair and made her way down to the cockpit. She wasn't the least bit surprised when Joker turned his chair around to regard her with a barely concealed smirk. "So... you got a message from big daddy?"

"You could say that," Shepard smirked.

"So, where we going?"

Shepard transferred the coordinates directly to Joker's console, watching his face as he stared at the map then back at her. "You do know where this will take us?"

"Yea," Shepard sighed. "Know any pilots that could get me there without pissing themselves?"

Joker's eyebrows rose as he feigned insult. "You wound me, Commander! I never piss myself. Unless I miss the bottle." He wiggled his eyebrows at Shepard as she rubbed her eyes to scrub that image from them. "My aim is deadly."

"I'll take your word for it." She laughed, shaking her head.

"Caution must be exercised," EDI chimed in. "The Hegemony considers the presence of Alliance vessels in Batarian space to be hostile."

"We're not Alliance." Joker deadpanned as he turned his seat back around to face the console.

"While that statement is true, the Normandy SR2 closely resembles the Normandy SR1, which was an Alliance vessel. Activation of stealth systems is advised."

"Really?" Joker smirked as he maneuvered the Normandy toward the relay. "I was thinking about going in all neighborly. You know, with bright neon lights, a loud speaker blaring Disco and have Gardner bake up a batch of cookies. Everyone loves cookies."

"Blaring Disco on any channel would be considered an act of war, Mr. Moreau."

"Fine!" Joker sighed in mock exasperation. "We'll do it the boring way. I was really looking forward to those cookies."

Shepard chuckled at the two as the Normandy went into silent mode before entering the relay.

* * *

"I know you don't like this-"

"You're damn right I don't like it." Garrus leaned back against the fish tank, crossing his arms over his chest. "Hackett's sending you straight into batarian space with no backup as a personal favor for a friend."

Shepard scowled. "You're forgetting the evidence she has for an imminent Reaper invasion." She shook her head, sealing the latches on her boots as she pounded her feet on the floor to make sure the fit was secure. "And if an entire team went in to get Kenson, they would kill her just to keep any information she had from us. And if there is a way to stop the invasion-"

"It would die with her. I know. I don't have to like it." Garrus chuckled softly. "Here I am worried about you. The Collectors killed you and all it did was piss you off." Garrus shook his head. "Batarians would be like sand in your boots."

"Ha! Sand in the boots is pretty damn annoying." Shepard smiled, walking over to Garrus and pulling on his collar until his forehead touched hers. "The Normandy will be just close enough for you to pull me out if things get too hairy."

"You humans and hair," Garrus chuckled as he ran his hands through Shepard's short locks. "If it didn't clog so many drains it would be endearing."

"You're telling me."

"Shepard," Joker's voice came over the comm. "we're five minutes out and running silent."

Shepard nodded and smiled at Garrus one more time before turning around and boarding the elevator. "Joker, after I'm planetside, take the Normandy out past the orbit of Bastzuda and make like an asteroid."

"Aye, Aye, Commander."

"No playing pong with passing ships either, Joker."

"Damn..."

Shepard smirked as she stepped out of the elevator and into the cargo bay. The area was quiet except for the hum of the drive and the quiet conversations of the maintenance personnel that worked tirelessly to keep the Normandy in top condition. Shepard sat quietly, and gave the Kodiak pilot a nod as the doors closed and the small craft took her to the planet below.


	8. Chapter 8

Shepard let out a breath she had not realized she was holding as the Kodiak lifted up off the jungle floor and into the sky. Even with all it's advanced shielding and electronic buffering systems all that could be thwarted if someone looked out a window. Shepard took a deep breath and approached the door. The red access panel in front clearly meant it was locked. To the side of the door, a small panel was flipped open. It almost looked as though someone was preforming maintenance on the door recently and forgot to seal the side access panel. Shepard pressed the brightest button on the panel.

"Access is restricted. Enter authorization code."

Shepard pressed the button again, and the door slid open. "Huh..." Shepard poked her head into the doorway, looking for any sign of movement. The door seemed to open to a little used access if the piles of rubble were any indication, which would explain the lax security. Slowly she advanced into the hallway and to the right. The bridge over the gap in the floor seemed to be out of order as well, which left the side hall that led down. Slowly Shepard stepped into the large room and was greeted with a lone varen feasting on what was left of a Salarian prisoner. One shot between the eyes with her Phalanx and the scaly dog was down. "Varen," Shepard confirmed her observation as she toed the corpse off of it's meal. "The batarians must send their prisoners down here to die. I have to find Dr. Kenson now."

The room had no other exits, however, there were two controls, the cables of which led up to where the bridge should be. Shepard stepped on the controls and heard the sound of the bridge extending. Coming back up the small side hall, crossed the gap on the newly extended bridge which led to a set of stairs that led her to the upper floors of the facility. She pulled back, pressing her back against the wall as she caught the tail end of a varen darting across the hall ahead. Slowly, she followed behind, only to find that the animal had been cut in half by the lasers cris-crossing the hallway. "This place is pretty rundown... even for a prison." The crumbled walls and piles of debris on the floor spoke to just more than neglect. Obviously, the batarians attention was focused elsewhere to let a high security prison fall into such bad shape.

Another varen lunged at her from the hall to her left, surprising Shepard as she jumped back and filled the animal with tungsten rounds. So far, she had yet to run into a guard, only varen. Either security was so lax that she could just waltz in and shoot their pets, or all their security was on the upper floors guarding Kenson. Neither option presented an easy way to get the scientist out of the facility without raising the alarms and be dog-piled by batarians.

Shepard eyed the path beyond the lasers and found the way to be blocked by even more debris. She left the lasers alone and turned left down the small hallway. "Get the human into questioning." Shepard flattened herself against the wall, listening.

"Get your hands off me!"

The second voice was female and human. Shepard was definitely in the right place. Peeking in the direction of the voices, Shepard was greeted with more lasers, this time motion detectors. Judging from the dead varren, that was what the intruder would get as a reward. How charming.

Forced to find a way around, she turned away from the door and down that hall, following it as it turned to the left and found a dead end. The wall had a sizable crack in it and charring all over the floor and walls. "Ah ha!" Shepard mumbled as she spotted the source of the blackened floor. Stepping back, she aimed her Phalanx up and fired. It took several shots to crack the pipe, the resulting explosion destroying the wall ahead of her and sending jets of flame across the opening. A few moments later and the flames died down enough to let her cross, however the next door way was blocked by the flame as well. However, the hallway running parallel to the one she had just blown up was not blocked and she followed this into what looked like a better maintained part of the facility.

"They wanted to slam an asteroid into the mass relay."

This brought Shepard up short. They wanted to do what?

"Can they even do that?"

Shepard had to agree with the guard. Was that even possible? Weren't there countermeasures designed to keep objects that big away from the mass relays?

"What difference does it make? We caught'em."

'And I am about to release them. Yes, this puts my mind entirely at ease.'

Shepard followed the stairs up to a kitchen of sorts and through the door that led back to the outside. Shepard had to admit that if it weren't for the batarians, this planet would be nice. Not that she hated batarians as a whole. Just when they tried to punch holes in her with big guns. Keeping low, she crept across the courtyard, the rain muffling her footsteps.

"They've still got her down in the prison."

Shepard stopped as she listened to the guards talking.

"I'd just kill her. Interrogating a human's a waste of time."

'With torture, maybe. You might get better results with cake.'

Shepard waited for the two guards to finish what ever break they were taking and darted across and back into a door near where the two had been talking. Following the walkways, Shepard found her way back into the facility, keeping low to avoid alerting the guards to her presence.

"No way it would have worked." She seemed to have rounded on the two talking earlier. "Relays can't be damaged much less destroyed."

"Those humans will do anything to destroy us, I swear."

Shepard shook her head. If only these batarians knew exactly what humans were actually fighting then they would be on board. At least the civilians would be. The Hegemony was much to set in their ways to budge an inch in their political views.

"We have to make this one an example to the others. We can't respond kindly to terrorists."

Shepard swore under her breath. She had to hurry if she was to get Dr. Kenson out alive. Slowly she crept around the corner to the doorway to the room the two guards were stationed in. Both had their backs turned to her and they were watching the rain fall outside. Quietly, she slipped past the door and into the walkway outside.

"There's a shuttle incoming." Shepard listened as one of the guards announced the arrival of a shuttle over the comm. "Clear the hangar bay." She didn't stop to wonder who it was arriving, she just kept going.

"I heard there was an artifact found in that asteroid belt." Shepard kept still and listened again. "Think the humans got it?" Apparently, the batarians were still in the dark as to what Kenson had found. That was both a good thing and a bad thing. If the batarians understood just what was at stake, how would they act to keep the Reapers from using their relay to gain a foothold in the galaxy?

Past the locked door, Shepard found a set of lifts, moving one out of the way so she could get down, then another to open the way to an accessible door. She had to wonder if all batarian prisons were constructed to make moving through it as difficult and convoluted as possible. Going through the door, her way was again blocked by lasers. If she even put one toe through those, every guard would be alerted to her presence and descend upon her and Dr. Kenson would be dead.

Shepard crept around to the left and found a security alcove. The log seemed to have been updated recently, so she hit the playback key and listened. Apparently the deep-cover agent had gotten sloppy and failed to encrypt her transmissions. That was unlike what Hackett had described her as. The part where the guard mentioned her interrogations only producing frenzied ramblings was puzzling.

Shepard found a console to shut off the security lasers and slipped through the hallway quickly to avoid drawing attention with her continued presence. Shepard ducked down as she heard more voices. "This one is clearly the mastermind. If she doesn't talk, kill her."

Shepard didn't like the sound of that. Stowing her pistol, she took a quick peek into the room. Apparently it was joined by reinforced glass to the room where Dr. Kenson was being interrogated. The two observing were probably the ones who arrived on the shuttle. Shepard, slowly crept up behind the two, and took them out with as little noise as possible. She would have to remember to thank Thane for giving her a few pointers in stealth kills. They were definitely coming in handy.

"I'll ask you again," the guard was obviously frustrated, "where is your base."

"You're wasting time! The Reapers are coming!" Shepard understood what the batarians were calling frenzied ramblings. They had no idea what they had stumbled upon.

"The Reapers are coming here. To this relay." Shepard was reminded of Councilor Velarn and had the urge to punch the guard in the face.

"Every moment you keep me here brings them closer."

"So I should let you destroy the relay, then? Just destroy this system?"

"Do what you want to me, batarian. Torturing me won't save you!"

Shepard hesitated for a moment. Was destroying the relay what Dr. Kenson was planning or was this more propaganda from the Hegemony? Right now, she couldn't tell.

"No. But it will amuse me."

Shepard sneered. It would amuse her to send that guard out an air lock. Quickly, she made her way out of the observation room, left down the hall and left again until she came to the door to the interrogation room. Punching the control to open it, she walked in, and calmly knocked the guard out with one punch to the head. So much for batarians having harder heads.

"Who are you?" Kenson was obviously confused, blinded by the apparatus around her head. "What are you doing?"

"Dr. Kenson?" Shepard moved around the back keeping her voice level to keep from spooking the woman strapped to the platform as she worked on disabling the device with her omni-tool. "I'm Commander Shepard. I'm here to get you out."

"Commander Shepard?" Shepard had long since gotten used to the disbelief that news of her return caused. "I had heard you were alive. Hackett must have received my message."

"We're not safe here. Can you walk?"

Kenson stumbled forward as the restraints were released, testing the strength of her legs. "I'm fine. Just give me a moment."

"We have to go." Shepard handed Kenson a spare Carnifex she kept on her person just in case. "Now."

Kenson tested the pistol's heat sink and ammo like any good soldier would. "If we can find a console, I can hack security... make us an escape path."

That sounded about as good as what Shepard had planned. "Then we'll find one. Go!" Shepard watched as Kenson finished the job and stomped on the guard's throat.

"Ready." Shepard smirked. Definitely not a shrinking violet.

Shepard winced as the loudspeaker blared into the hallway. "The ringleader escaped! Get your asses out there now!" Someone was not happy. A single guard sent a shot high and wide, giving Shepard just enough time to put him down. It was entirely possible that most of these mercs were green recruits and easily spooked. If so, they would be more dangerous to themselves than to her. Shepard motioned Kenson to follow her down a set of stairs and into another hall way.

"This is a cell block." Kenson seemed able to hold her own, much to Shepard's relief. "There should be a console here somewhere."

Shepard nodded, keeping close to the wall. Taking a quick look she spied a guard on the far end of the hall. Taking the Incisor from it's holster, she carefully aimed and sent a three round burst toward the guard's head. She popped the heat sink as his body hit the ground. As the other guard found his partner on the ground, Shepard lined up another shot and smeared him across the same wall. "Quick, clean, silent," Shepard mouthed to herself, remembering Garrus' mantra as he showed her how to use the sniper rifle without beating someone to death with it.

As she crossed the facility, an entire pack of guards came through, forcing Shepard and Kenson to take cover. So much for the quiet route. Stowing her sniper for her Mattock, Shepard used the assault rifle's sheer power to tear through the incoming guards. It took only a few minutes to chew through the guards. Kenson used a few tricks to incapacitate the guards hiding behind a concrete divide, their corpse still smoking as Shepard and Kenson made their way past and into an alcove housing the security console for this block.

Shepard looked over Kenson's shoulder as she opened the console. "They know we're here. Keep them off of me while I hack us a way out." Shepard nodded and went back out to the alcove's opening, making sure she had a fresh heat sink.

"Suppression Teams to Cell Block B, now!" Shepard readied herself as the loudspeakers blared orders to more guards. She picked the first few off with her Incisor as they followed the way she and Kenson had come.

"We need to close the door we came in through." Kenson's voice came through Shepard's ear piece. "Keep them out." She nodded and sprinted toward the doors and punched the controls just in time as another wave came through. Shepard had to suppress a smirk as the sounds of several bodies hitting the door filtered through to her. "Now they're coming up from below!"

"Just like cockroaches." Shepard muttered as she got out her Incisor again and sniped a few who had put themselves out in the open. "Flying cockroaches." Shepard chuffed and shook her head as she put a bullet into the head of one jet pack wearing batarian, his now lifeless body careening into his comrades on the deck, exploding into a ball of flame.

"Unlocking all doors to the hangar. Still need more time." Shepard smiled. She had been thinking the exact same thing. Shepard kept her incisor trained on the opening as one tried to use the lift to get to their level. He didn't last long enough to start running. "Bringing down their orbital tracking network."

"Watch the other side!" Shepard looked down as several batarian guards appeared on the platform below her, moving out of the way just as they fired on her. She moved to a better position and used her Incisor again to chew through their numbers. "There's an elevator that leads up to the hangar. I'll bring it down to us." Shepard could hear the strain in Kenson's voice. "Almost done." Shepard hoped so as she took out the last of the heavily shielded guards. She waited behind cover, waiting for her shields to come back on line, not moving until she heard the electric buzz and saw the shimmer in front of her before she took out the last guard.

"That did it!" Kenson sped past her and toward the elevator. "Let's move."

"Head for the hanger." Shepard growled as the voice came over the loud speaker. "Do not let them escape!"

"Oh! One last thing." Kenson chirped as she stepped up beside Shepard on the elevator. "The hangar doors are hard-locked. We'll have to get those open the old fashioned way."

"Leave that to me." Shepard and Kenson dove behind a docking transport as an entire squad rushed them in the hangar bay. Slowly the two chipped away at the squad' strength, forcing them to keep themselves behind the crates to keep from having their heads blown off. Shepard growled and launched herself over the transport's flat bed and rushed the closest guard, slamming her rifle butt in his face with a satisfying crack. Another guard went up in flames inside his own suit as Shepard fired a blast from her Mattock at two more until they stopped moving.

Satisfied that the bay was finely clear, Kenson approached the shuttle, an older model Kodiak in faded red and black paint. Both stopped, listening as they heard the clicks of several pistols being armed. Shepard smirked and motioned for Kenson to get into the shuttle. Using her Incisor, Shepard blew the two hard locks keeping the doors closed and dove into the shuttle. Kenson, already in the pilot's seat, aimed the rear thrusters at the advancing guards and punched the accelerator, incinerating them where they stood.

Shepard smirked as their shuttle lifted off from the prison and left the planet's atmosphere. "Engaging autopilot." Kenson sighed and leaned back in her seat. "We should be well out of range before they get their security measures unscrambled."

"Do you think they'll come after you?"

"I'm not taking any chances." Kenson got up and walked out into the shuttle's main holding area. "Batarians don't take kindly to humans who plan to destroy their mass relays."

Shepard narrowed her eyes. "So the charges against you are true."

"Well," Kenson ran her hand through her hair. "to be fair, that's about half the story. My people and I were investigating rumors of Reaper technology in the fringes of this system."

"I guess you found something." Shepard sighed, thinking that this just kept getting better and better.

"We found proof that the Reapers will be arriving in this system. When they get here, they'll use it's relay to travel through out the galaxy." Kenson locked her eyes on the relay in question as it glowed in the shuttle's small view port. "We call it the 'Alpha Relay.' From here, the Reapers can invade anywhere in the galaxy."

"So," Shepard was having a hard time coming to Kenson's conclusion. "you decided to destroy it."

"Exactly," the finality in Kenson's voice hit Shepard square in the chest. "Doing that would stop the Reaper's invasion. Even at FTL speeds, it'd be months or even years before they got to the next relay. We came up with what we just called 'the Project': a plan to launch a nearby asteroid into the relay and destroy it before the Reapers could arrive." Kenson closed her eyes. "Of course, the resulting explosion would probably wipe out the system."

Shepard sat down, trying to take all the information in. "Why do you think destroying the relay would destroy the entire system?"

"Mass relays are the most powerful mass-effect engines in the entire galaxy. The energy released from a relay's destruction would probably resemble a super nova. This is a remote system," Kenson sat down opposite Shepard. "but just over three hundred thousand batarians live on the colony where they held us. The explosion would undoubtedly kill them all."

Shepard sat back, rubbing her temple with armored fingers. "How did you plan to launch an asteroid into a mass relay?"

"Moveing an asteroid just requires thrust and guidance, which are readily available in Omega's salvage yards. Get the right amount of power and a good VI to drive it and, you can pretty much just point and shoot."

"I've always heard that mass relays are indestructible."

"I've heard that, too. But I think it's more that nobody's willing to find out what happens when one is destroyed."

Shepard had to hide the scoff. 'Can't possibly imagine why.'

"And, well... we planned to slam a small planet into the thing at very high speed. By our calculations, that's more than enough."

"Is the project still operational?"

"I," Shepard didn't like the hesitation in Kenson's voice. "imagine it is. We were only one button-press away from launch when the batarians arrested me."

"How were you caught?"

"We've been smuggling ship parts from Omega. Thrusters, guidance, an after-market eezo core. The batarians thought that looked suspicious. A few days ago, I took a few of the men on a scouting trip, and the batarians pounced on us. They never found our actual base."

Shepard shook her head. "I still don't see how you learned about this supposed invasion."

"The evidence came from what we call Object Rho, a Reaper artifact we discovered among the asteroids near the relay itself. When we get back to Arcturus Station, I'll explain everything and provide copies of all our notes on the artifact."

"What's a Reaper artifact doing in an asteroid?" Shepard couldn't imagine that the Reapers could 'forget' something like that near their entry into the galaxy.

"We don't know," Kenson shook her head, a hint of sadness in her voice. "or even what it's purpose is. Somethings are just too old or large to comprehend. Even a Reaper thousands of years dead contains power. Their artifacts are worthy of study, regardless of their purpose."

"How, exactly, does a Reaper artifact give you proof of an impending invasion?"

"It showed me visions of the Reapers' arrival... much like your Prothean beacon, I imagine. The Reapers are coming, Commander. That much I know for certain."

"If you're working near a Reaper artifact, how have you avoided indoctrination?"

"We've been very careful," Kenson put up her hands, seeing Shepard's caution. "We know what we're dealing with. You're not speaking to a child, Shepard. I saw what Sovereign did at the Citadel. Trust me - I know what's at stake."

"Then you know that the stakes are too high. If you were willing to destroy an entire system over this, I need to see your proof."

Kenson sighed, smiling as though she knew Shepard would insist. "I guess I can't argue with that. Give me a moment." Kenson strode over to the comm terminal, opening a channel. "Kenson to project base."

"Good to hear your voice, Doctor." Shepard could just barely hear the voice on the other end of the comm. "You coming home?"

"Affirmative. And," Kenson seemed to smile slightly. "I've got Commander Shepard with me."

"Shepard?" The incredulity in his voice was plain as day. "Really?"

"Tidy up the lab, the Commander needs to confirm the artifact."

"Right," Shepard chuckled at the tone on the other end. Like every man who hates being told to clean up their room. "I'll get everything set up for your arrival. Project base out."

"All set." Kenson reassured Shepard as she sat back down. "Just sit back and relax. We'll be there in no time."

Shepard didn't relax. How could she relax? Not only were the Reapers scheduled to come through this 'Alpha Relay' any day now, but she had just learned of a plan to destroy said relay. She suddenly knew why she had had such a bad feeling about this whole operation. Nothing good ever came out of anything even remotely connected with the Reapers.


	9. Chapter 9

Shepard felt her eyebrows rise as the shuttle got nearer the Doctor's base. When Kenson had called the thing a small planet, she hadn't been kidding. The enormous rock filled the small cockpit window as they approached the base. Shepard could make out piping and equipment poking through the rock around the set of doors that allowed them access into the base. The small shuttle descended into the small opening, the doors sealing as they closed allowing the environmental controls to pump oxygen back into the hangar.

Kenson was first off as the shuttle doors opened. She seemed to do a quick visual inspection of the hangar bay before turning to Shepard. "Here we are." She spread her hands wide as though in welcome. "Welcome to Project Base."

Shepard scanned the area, her eyes locking on what looked like a set of illuminated numbers. Another moment, and she understood that they were counting down. But counting down to what? "What's this," she asked, motioning toward the set of numbers over the only doorway into the base.

"That's our countdown to Arrival." Shepard could feel some of the color draining out of her face. "When that gets to zero, the Reapers will have come. Just over two days and counting. Puts things into perspective, doesn't it?"

"How do you know that's an accurate countdown?" Shepard clenched her fists.

"It is. The artifact has been giving off pulses at definite intervals since we found it. The intervals have been decreasing at a steady rate." Shepard looked sidelong at Kenson. The Doctor seemed awfully calm for someone who had just discovered a countdown to galactic Armageddon. "The artifact is reacting to the Reapers' proximity. In just over forty-eight hours, the pulses will become constant and the Reapers will be here."

"Your saying that the Reapers could be at Earth in two days?" Shepard pushed down the bubble of panic in her chest. "There's not time to waste."

"Then let's show you that proof." Kenson motioned for Shepard to follow her. "That door exits the hangar. The artifact is in our central lab area." Shepard felt her brow quirk as she followed behind Kenson. She would have kept that thing as far away from herself as possible when not studying it, not put it right smack in the middle of the base. She got that feeling that always told her when she was walking into a trap. But Kenson didn't act indoctrinated...

"Go through the door at the end of the corridor to your left." Kenson pointed down the hall as she started in that direction, Shepard eyeing the back of her head all the way down.

"So, what would it take to get the Project back up and running?"

"Everything was in place when we were arrested." Kenson stopped in front of a view port, looking out at the diffuse glow of the mass relay through the dust of the asteroid belt. "It was never a question of 'could we' but 'should we'."

"What alternative do we have?" Shepard asked as the two went up a small set of stairs and left into what Shepard assumed was the central area. All the while she spoke, she watched the lab personnel. It could have been the knowledge of what they were about to do, but they seemed distant to Shepard. Preoccupied.

"The Reapers will reach this system, regardless." Kenson pressed the controls to open the next door. "But the Alpha Relay is their short cut to the rest of the galaxy." More of the base was opened to them. The people here were the same as those in the other areas, too preoccupied to even notice that the Project head was back on base. "If you want to keep the Reapers at bay, this relay must be destroyed."

The two entered a small elevator, Shepard unable to shake the feeling that things were not as they seemed. She had learned to trust that feeling over the years, and her hands never strayed far from the Phalanx on her hip. She waited as the elevator descended deeper into the Asteroid, watching it's progress through the transparent floor. Shepard bolted out of the doors as soon as they opened, anticipating Kenson as she opened the lab door.

"We have to get the Project running again. It's probably the only chance we have."

"One sec," Kenson brought up her omni-tool. "let me get the door."

Shepard felt her jaw drop as soon as the doors opened. The artifact looked very much like something she and her team had unearthed several months ago, only then it had turned the entire team working on it into husks.

"Commander Shepard," the pride in Kenson's voice was unmistakable. "I give you Object Rho."

"You have the Reaper artifact just sitting here... out in the open?"

"When we found it, it showed me a vision of the Reapers' arrival."

"Kenson," Shepard had a bad feeling about this whole thing. "This is not good."

"Give it a moment, Shepard." The slight shift in Kenson's tone sent the hackles rising on the back of Shepard's neck. "It'll give you the proof you need."

The flash was shorter than the others, only of the Reapers approaching the relay. But the power of the artifact's invasion of Shepard's mind knocked her to her knees. She felt like her entire body was humming with energy, making her muscles spasm.

"I can't let you start the Project, Shepard." Shepard turned slowly, her eyes focusing on the barrel of the Carnifex she had given Kenson in the prison. "I can't let you stop the arrival." Shepard almost laughed. She figured keeping the object out in the open like this was trouble, and she was right.

Shepard grunted as she forced her muscles to work again, levering herself to her feet with a pained grimace. She could make out the sound of quick stepping feet. So then they were all indoctrinated. Perfect. Kenson backed away slowly as Shepard rose to her feet, looking away as though to give orders when Shepard grabbed Kenson's wrist and snapped, kicking the pistol away as it fell from her hands and pushing her away as the guards opened fire.

Shepard cursed under her breath as she took out her Mattock and pressed her back to a low divide as shots flew overhead. "Take her down!" Shepard watched as Kenson hobbled out of the fight, holding her broken wrist. Shepard clenched her jaw, rage in her mind. How could they have been so stupid? She took off running, using the butt of her Mattock to crack the face plate of the first guard she saw, spraying his prone body with bullets before diving back into cover.

She peeked out to the side and caught another guard out in the open and sent him flying into a wall with bone crushing force. Apparently, indoctrination did away with any self preservation instincts and made the victims dumb as a bag of hammers. Easier for her to pick off.

Shepard holstered her Mattock and took out her Incisor, catching a few more guards foolish enough to peek their heads up. "Don't make this difficult, Shepard." Kensons voice came over on the comm followed by a voice similar to Harbinger's. The artifact must have been sentient. "Do not resist. Give yourself over and you will be spared."

"Didn't I kill you already?" Shepard groused as she lined up another guard in her sights and put him out of his misery. "No one likes a talkative corpse." She aimed again and sent another guard's brains to the wall behind him.

"Shepard won't go down!" She had to laugh at that. Was Harbinger their mommy now?

"We don't want to hurt you, Commander! Lay down your weapons."

Shepard sneered. "Make me!"

"Your galaxy is in sight." Shepard narrowed her eyes. That was Harbinger. Lovely. "Your final days are at hand."

Shepard whipped her head around, the smell of something burning catching her attention. She scrambled out of the way as the guard sent a jet of flame to the spot she had occupied not a moment before. By reflex, she hit him with a singularity that lifted him up off the ground and pinned him to the center. One shot from her Incisor burst his flamethrower fuel line and he was engulfed in a pinwheel of flame.

"This will only get worse for you, Shepard."

"I'm not the one indoctrinated."

"The end of your species will come." Shepard growled as Harbinger's voice invaded her mind again.

"Butt out!" Shepard nearly screamed as she ran from cover to cover, taking out as many guards as she could. She was already starting to run low on clips and it wouldn't be long before she had to resort to using her sniper rifle to beat these idiots to death with. She stopped to catch her breath, resting her head against the barrel of her rifle. How many guards were there? She had to have killed at least twenty.

"Activate the heavy mechs!"

'Oh, hell no!' Shepard cursed under her breath as she peeked her head up.

"Struggle if you wish. Shepard gritted her teeth as Harbinger's voice invaded her thoughts again. "Your mind will be mine."

It seemed that every time Harbinger exerted himself, everything else sped up. Guards nearly had her flanked and she had to sprint to keep from being torn to pieces by the YMIR mech's guns. This was fast getting out of control. Shepard aimed with her Incisor and sent a shot to the mech, taking down it's shields. Switching to her Mattock, she sprayed any guard close enough to her with bullets, clearing the way for a moment so she could get in another shot on the mech, taking down it's armor this time. Shepard dove down as bullets flew overhead, waiting to get in the last shot.

"Have faith in the artifact. It'll be over soon." Shepard furrowed her brow. The artifact? What was this artifact supposed to -

"You shall be the first to witness our arrival." Shepard squeezed her eyes shut as Harbinger's voice invaded her mind again. She felt the ground under her feet shift as her body was hit with an energy wave that sent her to the ground, dazed. She felt more than heard foot steps coming closer. It seemed to take forever as she listened. Slowly, two feet came into view, walking slowly towards her. After a moment, she recognized the shoes as Dr. Kenson's as she knelt near her face.

Shepard's breath nearly went out of her body as she looked at Kenson's face. Her eyes were glowing, just like the collectors when Harbinger took control of them. "Take her to the med bay and patch her up." Even her voice was a combination of Kenson and Harbinger. "We want Shepard alive."

'We?' Shepard thought as realization dawned on her that Kenson was speaking of the Reapers as 'We' as her vision finely faded to black.

* * *

Soft voices filtered in through the blackness. Someone talking. This seemed a bit too familiar. "... like Shepard was waking up a moment ago. But it could be a glitch in the system."

Shepard slowly rolled her head to the side, watching as one of the scientists spoke into a data pad. Shepard groaned, fighting the lead weight feeling in her body as she sat up.

"No glitch!" The scientist seemed wholly surprised. "The sedatives aren't working."

Shepard was going to have to thank Miranda for what ever she had done when bringing her back. Control of her body was coming back much quicker now and by the time the scientist yelled "Security," Shepard was already fully awake, and fully pissed off. The two guards in the room didn't have enough time to bring their guns up before Shepard came at them with fists and a quick twist of their necks. The two fell at her feet as she stepped over their bodies. Though, before she could get out of the med bay, the scientist who had run out, had put a barrier curtain up. The smug woman crossed her arms, daring Shepard to find away out.

'Don't mind if I do.'

Shepard turned around, walking into a small alcove used to observe patients. It seemed that Dr. Kenson had a running log on this console, so Shepard cycled to the first entry, and pressed play.

"The project is almost complete. I thought I'd feel a sense of accomplishment, but instead... I feel dread. I can't help but think we're doing something terrible."

Shepard shook her head. How could Dr. Kenson had been so stupid working so closely around an artifact of that kind of power? She sighed, looking for any other way out when she spotted another control. This one looked a bit more like directional and firing controls rather than the standard 'push here to fuck shit up' buttons she was used to.

"Step away from the terminal!" The panic in the scientist's voice might as well have been encouragement as Shepard activated the controls, activating a LOKI mech. "Security! I need back up in the med bay!" Shepard laughed at the panic in her voice as she directed the mech to take her down with a few shots from it's pistol.

"Unknown user detected in network." Shepard lifted a brow. "Engaging security protocol."

"Like hell you are." Shepard directed the mech as more of it's kind appeared, shooting them down with ease. Following the corridor, she came to the same barrier curtain the scientist had set up. Getting close, she opened fire on the barrier generator beside the door, the explosion destroying the mech along with the curtain.

"Shepard's escaped! All available personnel to the medical wing! Do not let her activate the Project!"

"You should have killed me when you had the chance, Kenson." Shepard growled as she opened the weapons locker where her gear had been stored. Long years of practice had made getting into her armor in emergency situations a quick exercise as she checked her weapons and holstered them as the alarms began to sound. "Not much time." Shepard clenched her teeth as she saw the count down. Less than two hours to go. "I have to get this asteroid moving and get the hell out of here."

The door leading out was locked, but a few seconds hacking the circuitry and the lock was bypassed and the door opened. As soon as she stepped out into the hall, the far door opened to a pair of guards taking aim with their shot guns. Shepard took her Incisor from her shoulder, and lined the two up, one behind the other and took them down with one three burst shot.

"Tomas... Maxwell... Report!"

"Shepard's past them! All personnel, get in there!"

Shepard ran full speed down a tunnel, pausing only for the door to open. "Shepard's in the living quarters. Seal off Project Control!" Shepard was getting a little tired of Kenson's voice over the comm. Hiding behind a row of shelves separating two rows of beds, Shepard picked off one of the guards standing in the door way directly ahead of her. It didn't take long for the guards to figure out where the shot came from and another followed with a shot to the head, knocking him off of his feet.

Shepard peeked out, apparently there was only the two. She must have devastated the security force more than she realized as she made her way across another tunnel to another part of the base.

"Shepard is tearing us apart!"

"Regroup!"

Shepard chuckled. Kenson reminded her of when she had found Grunt. The Blue Suns captain had been just about this full of herself, but not quite as helpful in letting her know what they were doing.

"Use the flamethrowers!" Shepard had had just about enough of those things. She sprayed the closest guard with her Mattock and took cover behind a divide as the flamethrower wielding guard advanced on her. She took out the guard in front with her Incisor and waited for the Pyro to show himself. The Pyro seemed to be more skittish than most of the other guards, and Shepard knocked him back with a biotic push before putting a bullet in his brain.

She had made her way up and around toward an exit when the door opened and Shepard had just enough time to skid to a halt and dive backwards behind a table to keep from being turned into a pin cushion. She took the two out with a quick spray from her Mattock and made for the door. Though, she found another log in a console under the window. She pressed the play back button and listened while she checked the two guards for any clips they might have.

"Kenson's acting strange lately. Like she doesn't care about the Project anymore. And I know I'm not the only one having those dreams. The Reapers are coming, she says. But I'm not sure if I hear fear or hope in her voice."

Shepard shook her head. How could they have been so careless? Shepard supposed she would never know the answer to that question. She opened the door into another short hallway, then another door. This place was a maze! She had to wonder if she would ever find the Project Controls in time to keep the Reapers from invading or if she had woken up too late.

"There!" Shepard put the guard down too late to keep him from calling out. She just barely ducked in time to miss being hit by an overload. The shielded guard took a shot straight to the shields covering her head, bringing them down for the third bullet of the triple shot to catch her right between the eyes. Two more guards tossed flash grenades into the courtyard, Shepard looking away and covering her eyes to keep from being blinded. She waited a moment and took out the second shielded guard and popped her heat sink. The last guard decided, in his wisdom to rush her.

Shepard gripped the barrel of her Incisor and swung, catching the guard right under the jaw and sending his head back with a snap. Old habits died hard, it seemed. Shepard made her way through what looked like a mess, in both senses of the word. She found another alcove with a store of clips and another log recording. Shepard pressed the play back on this, hoping that her visor was still recording.

"The longer we're here, the more I'm convinced the Project must be stopped. We simply don't know enough about what the Reapers want. It's foolish to assume that the Reapers mean doom for the entire galaxy. Legends say they've come through before, and yet life continues, doesn't it?" Shepard had seen this happen many times on the various Reaper artifacts and even the derelict Reaper. The person's will is so subtly warped, that they think the Reaper's desires are their own. What ever their machinations, Shepard had to admit that the Reapers were clever bastards.

Shepard made her way out of the mess, and through another long tunnel into what looked like a lab. "Now we're getting somewhere."

"Shepard's heading for Project Control! Get in there! Now!"

Taking shelter in the door way, Shepard heard the door on the far end of the room open, spying several more shielded guards rush in. She dove forward to hide behind a long row of consoles, the guards firing and throwing grenades as though they didn't care about the sensitive equipment surrounding them. One of the guards tried to flank her until he was sent backwards with a single shot from her Incisor.

It seemed the further in she got, the harder the guards fought. The Object controlling them must be feeding them it's desperation if the number of flash grenades being hurled her way were any indication. Her visor protected her from most of the effects, but the flash was still half blinding. She leaned out of cover long enough to pop two more guards in the head before diving back in. All that were left now were two shielded guards. Both seemed to have the same idea and tried to flank her so she would get caught in the cross fire.

Shepard kept her head down and took two shrapnel grenades out of her pack, and waited for them to get just close enough. She waited until she could see their feet before she threw both grenades in opposite directions, the guards being too intent on their maneuver to move in time as both were blown to pieces. Hopping over the console, she raced toward the engine controls at the far end of the room.

"Welcome to Project Control." The VI greeted her as she stepped up to the console.

"I want to activate the Project."

"Warning:," a mock up of the relay was displayed on the screen in front of her, showing a simulation of what she was about to do. "Activating the Project will result in an estimated three hundred and five thousand casualties. Do you wish to continue." Shepard swore. She wished she had been alerted sooner. She might not have been able to save everyone, but she might have saved some.

For a moment, Shepard hesitated. Three hundred thousand innocent lives were in her hands at this very moment. She was being asked to sacrifice three hundred thousand, to save trillions. Taking a deep breath, Shepard reached forward and activated the thrusters.

"Project activation in progress. Warning: Collision with mass relay is imminent. Begin evacuation procedures."

Shepard activated the communications array, opening a channel to every settlement in the system. "All colonists living in the Bahak System: This is - "

"Shepard! No!" Shepard's communication was cut off, the array going dead as Dr. Kenson overrode it from her console. "Do you have any idea what you have done? You leave me no choice. If we can't stop this asteroid, it must be destroyed."

Shepard huffed. "Not likely. Tell me where to find Dr. Amanda Kenson."

The VI responded without hesitation; "Dr. Kenson is traveling to the reactor core module."

"An eezo core meltdown should do it. Because of you, everyone on this rock will be obliterated."

"Not if I get to you first," Shepard sneered and sent her fist through the display, shattering it as she bolted toward the doors at the back of the room.


	10. Chapter 10

Shepard raced toward the other end of the room, not bothering to slow down as she slammed the two guards emerging from the door way with a biotic push into the wall and left them where they fell as she slapped the controls to the door. She pulled her Phalanx from her hip holster as she crept down the hall. She stopped cold when she saw Dr. Kenson standing in front of Shepard, separated only by a transparasteel window. "Don't try to stop me, Shepard. I have to do this."

"I've already activated the Project. We can still escape this rock!" Shepard tried again to appeal to the Doctor. There had to be something of her left.

"There is no escape." Kenson turned her back on Shepard, holding the railing so tightly her knuckles turned white. "There is no redemption for what you've done! I will die never having seen the Reapers' blessings!" She turned toward Shepard, absolute anguish distorting her face. "And you will just die!"

"Dammit, Kenson!" Shepard could only watch as the Doctor took off running for the eezo core. Shepard slid against the wall as two more guards entered the room, locking the door behind themselves. "I don't have time for this!" Shepard threw a Singularity at the two guards, and as they were both caught in it, tossed a grenade into the door way to finish them off.

"Shepard is trapped," Kenson again used the comm to direct the other guards. "Keep her in there."

Shepard tried to hack the door, but the lock was too complex. She cast about, looking for anything that could either unlock the door or provide an alternate route to the engine core. She found a panel that had been blown off by the grenade she had used that housed the emergency bypass for the door's lock. It took her all of a few moments before the door slid open again and she ran into the elevator, slapping the controls.

One level up, and Shepard took off again. "Safety protocols disengaged. Core temperature rising."

Shepard cursed as she threw one of her last grenades at a group of guards, sending them flying over her head as she quickly made her way to the core's VI terminal. "How do I stabilize the reactor core?"

"All automatic safety protocols have been overridden. To stabilize the reactor core: Manually reinsert Cooling Rod A from this control station." Shepard looked down at what was clearly marked 'Cooling Rod A' in front of her. "Manually reinsert Cooling Rod B from Control Station B. Doing so will stabilize the reactor core."

"Sounds simple enough," Shepard grunted as she pushed the Cooling Rod down into the Control Station with a loud and very satisfying click.

"Cooling Rod A reinserted. Reactor Cooling process has begun."

"And now to find Control Station B," Shepard sighed, hefted her Incisor and peeked around the corner. "Three... no shields." She lined up her shot down the hallway and pulled the trigger, the guard flying across the hall and into a planter. She holstered her Incisor and took out her Mattock as the other two guards came running down the hall. She waited until they were nearly on her before she popped out of cover and sprayed the two guards with bullets. Neither one had a chance to fire their weapons as she hopped over their still steaming bodies and ran down the hall and to the right. She felt every second tick away now. Every delay bringing the Reapers that much closer.

The hall led into another elevator and Shepard rode this down, springing from the lift before it even touched the ground. The door ahead was locked so Shepard went right and found the controls for the Plasma Vents.

"Plasma Venting aborted." Shepard nodded to herself as she checked the door across from the elevator and found it unlocked and sprinted across the vent room and into the next door.

"Plasma Venting in progress."

"Shepard is in the Maintenance Area. Go!" Shepard had the distinct urge to break something. The moment she fixed one thing, Kenson would screw something else up. It was almost like being in basic again and having to deal with Cpl. Butterfingers' antics all over again.

Shepard didn't stop running as she let her Mattock rip and tore through the pair of guards stationed at the other end of the hall, not slowing down for one moment. Around the turn she ran into four more guards and she stopped just long enough to get her Incisor out. One, two, three down in the space of a few seconds, two more guards, one shielded. Shepard sent the un-shielded guard over the railing with a biotic push and out another triple shot into the shielded guard, jumping over the railing as his body hit the ground.

The door was locked, however, someone had put a barrel of coolant in a small gap in the wall. Two shots from her Phalanx and the barrel exploded, leaving a convenient spot for her to heft herself up and bypass the locked door completely. "This is Williams," Shepard flattened herself against the wall, listening. "I've got Shepard locked in the Maintenance Area. Requesting backup."

Sneaking around quietly, Shepard found the guard calling for backup, lined him up with her Incisor and shut him up mid sentence. She tapped a few keys at the security console the guard was at and the door was unlocked. As soon as she entered the door, the lift across the room descended and two guards came out with guns aimed at her. She dropped one immediately with a triple round to the gut, the other opened fire. Shepard rushed this guard and knocked him out with the but of her rifle and jumped on the elevator.

It quickly ascended and Shepard found herself in a small lobby like area. She picked up the spare clips the guards likely stored for emergencies and took the next elevator up another level. "Where is that Control Station," Shepard hissed as she looked around. There was only one way to go, and as soon as she opened the door, she was fired upon by more guards. "How many guards are there? You'd think they stored them in the walls like sardines!"

Keeping behind the divides, Shepard picked off the guards one by one with her Incisor.

"Reactor temperature reaching critical."

"Crap..." Shepard decided to rush things along a little and ran toward one of the guards hiding behind a pillar, kneeing him in the gut and cracking him in the head with her rifle butt and tossed her last grenade into where the rest were hiding, taking cover as it exploded. The door opened and three more guards were waiting for her.

"Burn, Shepard!" Shepard took cover as fire rushed at her.

"You first!" Shepard shouted back as she fired blind with her Mattock, making the Pyro hesitate just long enough for Shepard to come out of cover with her Incisor and blow her head off. The other two followed shortly as the next triple shot found it's mark in both their skulls. Shepard jumped over the three and toward the locked door. This one, unlike the last few, was easily bypassed and it only took a few moments of fiddling with the circuitry before it slid open.

"Finely!" Shepard burst through the door and practically jumped on the Coolant Rod as she pushed it into it's seat with another audible click.

"Cooling Rod B reinserted. Reactor meltdown averted. Core temperature dropping."

Shepard rushed into the elevator, slapping the controls, descending another floor.

"You've done nothing, Shepard! I can still override power to the engines! Try to stop me!"

"Oh, no you don't!" Shepard shouted at the comm as she rushed the doors and into the reactor control room. "Step away from the reactor." Shepard had her Incisor targeted at Kenson's head.

The Doctor pulled her head, nearly screaming. "You've ruined everything!" She sounded as though everything reasonable had gone out the air lock a long time ago. "I can't hear the whispers anymore!"

"Turn around, now!" Shepard was not about to put up with this bullshit anymore.

"You've taken them away from me!" Kenson continued on as though she didn't hear anything Shepard said. "I will never see the Reapers' arrival." She finely turned around, a plasma grenade in her hand.

"All you had to do was stay asleep. None of this had to happen."

"Kenson!" Shepard shouted at the Doctor, trying to get her to snap out of her delusions. "We can get off this asteroid!"

"No," Kenson shook her head, all life drained from her eyes. "We can not." Shepard tried to turn and run as Kenson pressed the button on the plasma grenade only to be caught in the explosion, striking the wall as her world went dark.

"Warning: Collision imminent."

Shepard groaned, her head throbbing as she picked herself up off of the floor.

"Warning: Collision imminent."

She cleared her vision as the warning kept repeating, her eyes finding the console Kenson had been standing in front of. She quickly made her way to it and opened up a channel to the Normandy. "Joker, this is Shepard. I need a pick up. Now."

"Communications system damaged."

"Dammit!" Shepard stepped back, thinking.

"Evacuation protocols in effect. All personnel to escape shuttles."

"Where can I find an escape shuttle?"

"Take the lift from this room to the external access. From there, proceed to the communications tower. The remaining escape shuttles will be located on the tower's landing pad."

"I have to get to that comm tower and take a shuttle. It's my only chance." Shepard didn't wait for a moment longer, she bolted out of the newly unlocked door, barely taking a moment to appreciate the relay as it loomed ominously close and sped through the long hall way.

"Warning: Alpha Relay collision is imminent. Evacuation is recommended."

"Where do you think I'm going?" Shepard muttered as she sped through the door and down a flight of stairs. The station seemed to be even more of a maze. She wondered how in the hell they had built all of this without the batarians taking notice of all these materials coming into their system. She sped through another door and hammered the controls for the air lock. The change in air pressure automatically activated the helmet built into her suit as it extended and sealed to encase her in an air tight environment.

As soon as she stepped foot on the landing area, however, she was assailed again by guards firing on her. She had no choice but to hide behind a cargo crate. She picked off those she could from her hiding place, however she was beginning to run low on clips again. She couldn't afford to miss.

As soon as she cleared out a few of the guards, she advanced again, finding more crates to take shelter behind. She popped a clip after taking down two more guards when her jaw dropped. Someone was taking a shuttle. From the guards chatter, it was the last one.

"Shit! I have to get to that comm tower. Hope the Normandy's listening." Shepard twitched the trigger again and took the head off of another guard. She dove behind another pile of crates as another YMIR mech came trudging out again, raining a hail of bullets on her position. On the positive side, it looked like there were no more guards. On the negative, she had three clips left.

Shepard stowed her Incisor for her Mattock and popped one of her remaining clips in. She set the ammo type to Cryo and waited for the mech to come out into the open. She sprayed the thing until it's shields went down, switched to Pyro rounds and chewed on it's shields all the while dancing in and out of cover. She popped a clip. Down to two. She took her Incisor out again. She had at least two good shots left with this clip. She aimed and fired. The mech still came at her, however her shot seemed to have scrambled it's targeting computer because it was firing wide and to the right. One more shot, and the thing's head flew apart in a shower of metal and sparks before it exploded, nearly knocking Shepard off of her feet.

Once the way was clear, she made a mad dash for the comm tower, weaving around cargo containers and flying down the low set of stairs and nearly crashing into the tower itself.

"External comm channel open."

Yes! "Shepard to Normandy. Joker, do you read me!"

Just when she had gotten through, the signal was blocked. Shepard looked up, and saw the one being who had the power to make her blood run cold. It was just a holo, but his true form was intimidating, none the less. She approached the holo, her strides slow and deliberate.

"Shepard. You have become an annoyance." She almost laughed at that. She had a habit of annoying people who wanted to use her. "You fight against inevitability. Dust struggling against cosmic winds. This seems a victory to you. A star system sacrificed. But even now, your greatest civilizations are doomed to fall. Your leaders will beg to serve us."

"Some humans are afraid the Reapers are too powerful. But when the Alpha Relay breaks, everyone will see that we can fight the Reapers. And win. However 'insignificant' we might be, we will fight, we will sacrifice and we will find a way. It's what humans do."

"Know this as you die in vain: Your time will come. Your species will fall. Prepare yourselves for the Arrival." With that, Harbinger's image faded from existance as the Alpha Relay loomed closer than ever.

"No fair, Shepard!" Shepard had never been so happy to hear Joker's voice. "You said I couldn't play pong with passing ships and here you are playing dodge-ball with a fucking relay!"

"Not my choice, Joker," Shepard took off running toward the opposite side of the landing area, the landing hatch popping open as she jumped from a stack of cargo crates and right smack into the Normandy. Hitting the inner doors face first had never felt so good. As the doors opened, Shepard took off toward the cockpit, running at full speed. "Get us out of here, Joker!"

"You owe me a steak after this, Commander," Joker spoke through nearly clenched teeth, maneuvering his baby from the awkward angle into a path suitable for travel through the relay. "Not that vat grown shit, either," he punched the controls to accelerate and send their coordinates through to the relay's targeting controls. "I want an honest to God dead cow on my plate!" The Normandy fell into the field, and streaked away from the system as the asteroid made contact with the metal of the great machine.

"With horseradish," Shepard agreed, rushing to the CIC, her eyes on the map of the galaxy. She stared at the area that represented the Bahak relay as darkness spread. First, it was just a pin prick, and then in ballooned out, leaving the entire system as dark as the void between the galaxies. It wasn't until right then, that the full weight of what she had done hit her. She was grateful for her full helmet blocking Kelly's view of her face as she laid her forehead on her fist.

Shepard took a deep breath and straightened up, fighting the urge to scream. "I'll be in my quarters" If Kelly heard the crack in Shepard's voice, she didn't say anything as Shepard slowly walked toward the elevator and tapped the controls to go up to her cabin. She had a lot to think about.

* * *

Shepard sat up as Chakwas finished her examination. She'd found nothing out of the ordinary. Well, what passed for ordinary for Shepard, anyway. Shepard had spent the last two days first sleeping, then talking. She talked to Kelly, then to Garrus trying to figure her way around her own head. She knew she had done what she had to, but that didn't assuage the guilt she felt over it all.

She looked up as she heard Chakwas speaking softly across the room. At first she couldn't make out who she was talking to, but as she left and the man turned around, Shepard straightened up and slid off of the table.

"Huh, looks like you've recovered."

"Admiral Hacket." Shepard saluted, but the Admiral waved it off. There was no need.

"It sounds like you went through hell down there. How are you feeling?"

"Fine," Shepard leaned back against the table to rest her legs. "No more visions if that's what you mean. I didn't expect to see you here."

"You went out there as a favor to me. I decided to debrief you in person." Shepard nodded, she knew better though. "That was before the mass relay exploded and destroyed an entire batarian system." Shepard hated being right. "What the hell happened out there, Commander?"

"Have you received any intel about what happened?"

"All I know is I sent you there to break Amanda Kenson out of prison and now an entire system is destroyed. I hope you can fill in the gap of logic between those two events."

Shepard had expected there to be no intel, but she had to ask. She stepped forward and handed her completed report to Hackett, standing as straight as she could. "I confirmed Dr. Kenson's proof. The Reapers were coming and destroying that relay was the only way to stop them." She watched as Hackett quickly scanned over the report, his face unreadable. "Kenson sedated me for almost two days. I started the engines with little more than an hour left. I tried to warn the batarian colony, but... time ran out."

"The batarians report no survivors from Aratoht. At least you tried." Hackett turned from Shepard, walking a few paces away. "And you believe the Reaper invasion was really a threat?"

"No doubt about it." Shepard closed the gap. "We literally had minutes to spare."

Hackett turned to face her again. Shepard had to take another deep breath. Hackett wouldn't be here if he didn't believe her implicitly. "I'm sure all the details are in your report. I won't lie to you, Shepard. The batarians will want blood, and there's just enough evidence for a witch hunt. And we don't want war with the batarians. Not with the Reapers at the galaxy's edge."

Shepard backed away a few steps, not liking the meaning behind his words. "What are you saying?"

"You did what you did for the best of reasons, but... There were more than three hundred thousand batarians in that system. All dead."

"They died to save trillions of lives." Shepard felt her anger rising again. Anger at having been forced to make that kind of monstrous decision. "If I could have saved them, you bet your ass I would have."

"You're preaching to the choir, Commander." Hackett stood his ground, familiar with the rage soldiers had in this situation. "If it were up to me, I'd give you a damn medal. Unfortunately, not everyone will see it that way."

Shepard sighed, sitting on the edge of Chakwas' desk. "So what do you suggest."

"Evidence against you is shoddy at best. But, at some point, you'll have to go to Earth and face the music. I can't stop it... But I can and will make them fight for it."

"I'll gladly stand trial once this mission is done."

Hackett nodded. "Glad to see working with Cerberus hasn't stripped you of your sense of honor." Hackett turned toward the doors to the med bay. "Do what ever you have to do out here. But when Earth calls," he turned toward her again. "you make sure you're there with your dress blues on, ready to take the hit. In the mean time... you keep this." He handed back the report she had written out. "I don't need to see your report to know you did the right thing."

"Yes, sir." Shepard took the report, and saluted the Admiral.

"You've done a hell of a thing, Commander." And with that, Hackett left the med bay.

Shepard sank into Chakwas' chair, leaning her head back and closing her eyes. She knew she should count her blessings. Hackett understood what was going on and had faith in her that she had one the right thing for the right reasons. She had to stop herself from asking more 'What if' questions. All she was doing was running around in circles in her own head. What happened, happened, and couldn't have happened any other way.

Levering herself up, she exited the med bay. Chakwas and Gardner were busy talking quietly in the mess, so she let them be and went around to the elevators her way up to her cabin. She wasn't the least bit surprised to find Garrus still sitting on the couch, reading. It was where she had left him earlier and since the main guns weren't being constantly upgraded and used, there was no need for endless calibrations.

Garrus looked up from his data pad, watching as she walked in, took her jacket off and plopped down beside him, leaning on his shoulder. "I heard Hackett talked to you personally."

"Yea," Shepard nodded, kicking off her shoes and tucking her feet under her seat. "He wanted to know what happened."

Garrus nodded and scrolled down to continue reading. "The batarians have any evidence?"

"No,"

Garrus draped his arm around Shepard's shoulders, running his knuckles against her back as he continued to read. "Good." Both enjoyed the companionable silence, relaxing into the mundanity of the moment. Both knew that, from now on, nothing would ever be the same.


	11. Chapter 11

Shepard lifted her head from the pillow. Her sleep had been disturbed by a blue flashing light coming from her laptop. Slowly, she extricated herself from the sheets, making sure not to disturb the sleeping turian at her side. Garrus rolled over to his back and put his hand over the empty space Shepard had occupied moments before. His eyes slowly opened as he sensed that side of the bed was now empty.

He watched as Shepard slowly made her way to her laptop and brought up her personal messages. The look on her face was enough to get him out of bed and by her side in moments. Shepard took a deep breath before she activated the display that served as the case for her model ship collection. Typing in the pass-codes that identified her as Commander Shepard, she stood straight and saluted the man staring back at her.

Anderson stood in the frame. Gone were the formal clothes he wore as Councilor Anderson. Instead, he was dressed in Alliance Dress Blues, his medals and pins glinting in the bright light. Shepard waited as Anderson matched her salute before quickly assuming parade rest. "Admiral." The greeting was as crisp and clipped as her salute. Garrus felt a cold stab of dread. This was it.

"Commander Shepard," the cold professionalism in Anderson's voice nearly did Shepard in as she swallowed hard. "In three standard Earth hours, you will be intercepted by two Alliance frigates. Once there, you will relinquish your command to the XO and will be flown to Arcturus Station." Shepard kept her face as impassive as possible. She had known this day would come, but it still felt like a bad dream.

"Once you have docked, you will be escorted to the Alliance Council where you will be formally stripped of your command." Anderson's jaw clenched as the last words left his mouth.

"And my crew?"

"All will be escorted off the Normandy and debriefed. The non-human crew will then be turned over to their respective governments for further questioning." Admiral Anderson took a deep breath. Garrus watched Shepard's face as her jaw clenched painfully.

"Understood." The word was barely a hair above a whisper as Shepard swallowed hard.

Anderson nodded once. "I'm sorry, Shepard. If it were up to me I would tell the Hegemony to shove their case up their exhaust ports." Shepard merely nodded in response. "Brief your crew, Shepard. I made sure your escort took the scenic route."

Only when the screen had gone transparent again had she allowed herself to sink into her chair, her head in her hands. Garrus' fists were still clenched. There was no way he was going to leave her side while the Batarians railroaded her.

"Don't," Shepard's voice brought him out of his anger as she looked up at him. "This isn't a battle you can win, Garrus."

"What the hell am I supposed to do, Shepard? Just let them treat you like some petty criminal?"

Shepard laughed bitterly at that. "I'm not going to be treated as anything petty. I am going to be tried on Genocide and War Crimes charges."

Garrus had taken to pacing the lower part of her loft. "But there's no way they have enough evidence to convict you!"

"It doesn't matter, Garrus. The charges have been filed. The Alliance wouldn't risk an all out war with the Hegemony." Her smile seemed to carry as much mirth as a charging Krogan.

"So that's it?" Garrus clenched his fists as he turned toward Shepard. "It's all over. Everything's undone with a court-marshal?

Shepard shook her head, her eyes staring through the laptop on her desk. "No, it's not over yet." She brought up her messages and began furiously typing.

Garrus slowly came to her side, watching as she sent the first of several messages off. "You have a plan?" Garrus knew the question was moot. When did Shepard not have a plan?

"EDI?" Shepard didn't stop to answer Garrus as she walked over to the holographic display that flickered to life as EDI's avatar appeared.

"Yes, Commander Shepard?"

"Get everyone into the Conference Room in five minutes. Make it urgent."

"Of course, Commander." EDI's holo faded immediately.

Garrus followed Shepard as he slipped into his armor with practiced ease, noting with some relief that it fit better after having been repaired. Both were out into the elevator and in the Conference Room before half the crew had filed in. The room was crowded, but she needed everyone close. There was no time to repeat herself.

"I want to say first off, that it was an honor serving with all of you." Shepard began, noting some of the blank looks she was getting. "But I need one last thing from all of you." She took a deep breath. "I have been called back to Arcturus to stand trial for Genocide."

The room had gone silent for a full three seconds. Which on the Normandy, was practically an eternity.

"Bullshit!" Shepard had expected Joker to be the first to speak up. "That's- You saved their God-damned asses from a Reaper butt-fucking!"

Shepard smirked despite herself. That was certainly one way to see it. She held up her hand as the rest of the room exploded in disbelief. "We don't have much time before the escort arrives and I am relieved." The room quieted around her, everyone kept their eyes on their commander.

"You have orders, Commander?" Miranda, her face impassive, regarded Shepard with expectation.

"Joker. I need you to keep quiet about EDI. That goes for everyone. I need you to find anyway you can think of to stay close to the Normandy. I don't think the trial will be over before the Reapers get here and things are going to go tits-up pretty fast."

Joker saluted and both he and EDI disappeared from the Conference Room and back to the cockpit to put their plans together.

"Miranda. Get a hold of every contact you have in Cerberus. I want to know what the Illusive Man's up to. I need to know if he'll be a help or hindrance to us. You've got two hours."

Miranda nodded and sped from the conference room.

"Jacob. Get the Collector rifles ready. I need plans for those rifles in the hands of every weapons manufacturer in the galaxy. Every soldier and merc needs to be able to take down anything the Reapers throw at us."

Jacob nodded, saluted and left the Conference Room.

"Donnelly, Daniels. Get the specs for this ship's drive core to the Alliance when they board. Make sure you get enough copies. I need them sent to every species in Citadel space. I need the specs and materials for every upgrade and tweak we've done to this ship since it was built. Everything."

The two popped off simultaneous Aye, Aye's before rushing out.

"Tali, when we get to Arcturus, they're going to take all of the non-human crew and get them back to their respective governments. When you get to the flotilla, I need you to find any means necessary short of shooting the Admiralty to get their heads out of their asses. Show them everything we have on the Reapers. Show them everything that will happen if they split themselves when they get here. Make them care."

Tali nodded, taking a deep breath. "Sure, Shepard. No problem."

"Tali. I wouldn't ask this of you if I didn't think you could do it. I need them ready."

"I will, Shepard."

Tali slowly turned and left the room.

"Thane. Do you still have your old contacts?"

"Of course, Shepard."

"Good. I want them looking out for infiltrators. Anyone that even acts like they've been indoctrinated. Everyone from bus boy to Councilor. You've seen the symptoms, you know it like nobody's business. I want them to know the signs and be ready to take out anyone who has been compromised."

"Of course." Thane bowed, and turned to leave.

Shepard sighed and leaned against the table, the room empty except for herself and Garrus.

"Garrus." Shepard sighed and looked up into his eyes, knowing that he had to be hurting like hell right now. "When you get base-side, look up Chorban. That Salarian that was studying the Keepers." Garrus nodded, he remembered. "Get everything he's learned. I need to know if there's a way to keep the Reapers from controlling them. We need to keep the Citadel out of their hands for as long as possible."

"I will." His voice was soft as he leaned his forehead against hers, sharing one last embrace before she was ripped away from him, again.

"Make sure the Hierarchy is ready. Do anything to make them pay attention to you." Shepard sighed as she gripped the collar of his armor tightly. Even now, Garrus had to marvel at Shepard's resolve. Threatened with possible execution, her first instinct was to do her level-headed best to make sure the galaxy was ready.

"Garrus."

"Yea."

"Just in case. If I even smell like I've been Indoctrinated."

Garrus shook his head, not wanting to hear what he knew she would ask him.

"Garrus," She brought his face to her's with her hands, holding him there. "Promise me. Promise me you won't let them use me to destroy everything we've worked so hard to save."

"Why not Thane?"

Shepard smiled, her eyes glistening with unshead tears. "Because, I trust you. You won't miss. Promise me."

"I- I promise." Garrus chuckled. "I don't think anyone else would have the skill."

"That's my bad turian." Shepard smiled as she touched his face for the last time before turning to stride out of the Conference Room and into the CIC, Garrus a step behind her.


	12. Chapter 12

"So, what your telling me," Shepard leaned back in one of the chairs in Miranda's quarters. "is that in the space of three weeks, every single one of Cerberus' operations has been completely liquidated?"

"It happened faster than that, Shepard." Miranda said as she got up from her chair to start pacing restlessly. "My contact inside sent one message back before everything went dark. But, I can't understand a thing. If he's speaking in code, I can't make it out."

Shepard sighed, this was getting her nowhere. "I think it's been well established that The Illusive Man's a bastard. But this is starting to get straight up creepy."

"I agree. But," Miranda sighed, finely sitting down again. "there's just something that doesn't feel right. When everything went quiet, the Alliance sent small strike teams to every suspected operation. They found everything had been destroyed, all data deleted and every single person dead."

"Wow." Shepard whistled. "That's ambitious even for him. That would take an amazing amount of coordination to raid every one of his labs."

"They weren't raided, Shepard." Miranda rested her chin on her hands as Shepard regarded her with a puzzled look. "Every single person died from a single self-inflicted gun shot to the head."

"Wait." Shepard held up her hands, regarding Miranda with disbelief. "You mean to tell me that every single person working there shot themselves? Everyone?"

"Right down to the kitchen and janitorial staff."

"That's... dedication?"

"I would have called it stupid, Shepard."

"That, too. It's just - so strange. You would have thought at least a few of them would have told the Illusive Man to go fuck himself with a relay and just leave."

Miranda chuckled, shaking her head to rid it of that vivid mental image. "One would think so. I know you were hoping for more, Shepard. But that's all I have: Insane gibberish and over 300 simultaneous suicides."

"It's better than nothing. Keep looking. Make sure you get in touch with Liara. I need everyone on their toes, just in case. There's no way to know what direction the trial will go."

Miranda nodded, her eyes drifting over to the clock on her desk. "It's almost time, Shepard." Miranda stood as Shepard did and held out her hand. "No matter what happens, it's been an honor."

Shepard grasped her hand, a soft smile on her face. "You keep yourself safe, Miranda."

"Always, Commander." Miranda watched as Shepard left her quarters, her smile fading as she sunk into her chair. She brought up the archived messages from her contacts and tried again to piece together what was going on.

* * *

Shepard made her way, slowly, to the front of the ship. Joker and EDI were in quiet discussion, Joker leaning over to get closer to EDI's avatar to avoid being heard. EDI must have alerted him to Shepard's presence because he straightened up and turned his chair around, smiling like he had just sneaked the last cookie out of the jar. As soon as Shepard saw Joker's face, she felt her shoulders relax. What ever Joker had come up with, it was bound to be good. "Twenty-three minutes, Commander," he stated as though nothing was amiss.

Shepard looked down at Joker, her smile matching his. Although, if she looked closer, she could see the strain in his eyes. His smirk was only covering up his tension. "Joker."

"Don't worry about me, Commander. You're the one about to be torn apart by the same assholes who couldn't stop singing your praises two years ago. Me and EDI'll stick close."

Shepard smiled, nodding her head as she sank into the co-pilot's seat with a thump. "Thanks, Joker. For everything."

"That's two hamburgers you owe me, Commander."

"Two honest-to-God dead cows? I think I can do that."

"Horseradish. Don't forget the horseradish."

"Wouldn't dream of it." Shepard trailed off as her eyes drifted to the inky blackness outside the Normandy, her fingers running along the edge of the view ports as her mind drifted off.

Joker turned his head slightly, watching as Shepard became lost in thought. "You're doing it again."

"Doing what?"

"You've got that look on your face that basically asks why the hell you're still here."

Shepard chuffed and shook her head. "You'd think I'd be over it all by now. It's been what? Over a year since I woke up?"

"In your defense, you haven't exactly been able to sit down and take stock, Commander. You've pretty much been running since you were brought back."

"And that's what's got me worried, Joker."

"That you'll actually be able to get more than four hours of sleep, Commander?"

"God forbid," Shepard smiled. "I'm worried that when I am finely able to take stock, I'll find some pieces missing. Or worse, things that weren't there before."

"In case you haven't looked in a mirror lately, Commander, you've got some stuff on your face that wasn't there before."

"Like the rest of my face?"

Joker shuddered, his face screwing up at her words. "Don't remind me, Commander. They had to show me vids to get me to believe it was actually you."

Shepard scrunched her nose at Joker. "You mean you saw naked pictures of me?"

"If by naked, Commander, you mean with out skin and most of your extremities; then yes. I have seen you naked." Joker screwed his face up in mock disgust. "No wonder Garrus likes you. You're the only one uglier than him naked."

"Gee, thanks, Joker. You really know how to make a girl feel good."

"Should I start complementing you on your fringe, now, Commander?"

Shepard fixed Joker with a look that would have left any other person quaking in their boots. "Joker..."

"It's not like no one knows, Commander."

"You and EDI have to be the biggest perverts on this ship."

Joker was almost offended. "Oh, please, Commander. You and Garrus are tame compared to the nasty shit I've seen."

"What does that mean?"

"Congratulations on popping Garrus' heat-sink."

Shepard couldn't hold the angry look on her face as she dissolved into a fit of giggles. "Damn you, Joker," she squeaked out between laughs.

"Normandy." A clipped voice came in over the comm. All humor evaporated from the cockpit. Three ships had just come out of FTL on their bow. The console showed they were the Agincourt, Leizpzig and Trafalgar.

Joker took a steadying breath before he opened the channel. "Acknowledged SSV Agencourt. Normandy is standing down and is ready to be boarded." Shepard stood and watched Joker make the necessary connections. Both waited in silence as the indicator turned green. Shepard clenched her jaw as she heard the response from the Agencourt. She gave Joker's shoulder one last squeeze, her stony facade nearly falling as he returned the gesture by grasping her hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry about us." She smiled down at Joker before she turned toward the CIC and took her place in front of the galaxy map. She could feel Kelly's concerned eyes on her. She gripped the railing so hard her knuckles turned white as she heard the air lock opening. She could hear their footsteps coming and forced down a sudden swell of anger. She would do no one any good if she lost it now. But she couldn't help but wonder if all her work were about to be negated by a cadre of ignorant bureaucrats.

"Commander Shepard." Shepard whipped her head up, meeting Admiral David Anderson's eyes. Beside him, stood Admiral Stephen Hackett. The presence of the two most decorated members of the Alliance Navy had her mind whirring. If the two of them were here, then the political shit-storm the destruction of the Alpha Relay had kicked up must have been huge. Big enough to get Anderson off of the Council and back into Alliance dress blues.

Shepard saluted the two and stepped off of the raised dais. More Alliance officers were filing into the Normandy, replacing the Cerberus staff at their stations. The two Admirals were about to lead her off of the ship, when a loud ripping sound came from her right. Kelly had ripped the Cerberus emblem off of her lapel and let it fall to the ground. The entire CIC was filled with the sound as one after another, the crew ripped their Cerberus emblems from their uniforms and dropped them to the ground.

Shepard knew they were showing their support for her, and she couldn't help the sad smile on her face as the last to tear the emblem off of his uniform was Joker. She saw the gold and black patch sitting on the floor next to his seat. She couldn't hear his response to the Alliance pilot there to replace him as she was ushered off of the Normandy and on to the Agencourt. Once on board, she was escorted directly to the brig. Neither Admiral said as single word the entire way, but she could see the pained look on Anderson's face. She handed over her amp and stepped into the cell, the barrier curtain shimmering between them almost instantly.

Hackett turned to her, his face as stony as her own. "I'm sorry," was all he said as he turned on his heel and left the cell. Behind him, another Admiral stood. Her features closely resembled Shepard's own, though her hair had gone silver years before.

"Mom," Shepard could barely manage a whisper as Admiral Shepard stepped up to the curtain. Shepard could see the agony on her mother's face, watching as her eyes traced the scarring scoring jagged lines down her left jaw to disappear beneath her collar. Shepard couldn't hold her mother's gaze and she lowered her head, finely letting so many years worth of tears roll down her face. She staggered back until her knees bumped against the bench and sunk down onto it.

She didn't hear the curtain come down, but her mother was there, wrapping her arms around her and rocking her gently back and forth as she let out years worth of frustration and pain. Hanna Shepard didn't say a single word as she held her daughter. She had lost her once, and if things went poorly, she would lose her again to a fate worse than death. She had heard the stories of what happened to anyone the Hegemony considered an enemy of the state. She just held her daughter close, thankful she had been given at least this one chance to see her baby before releasing her back into hell.


	13. Chapter 13

Watching Shepard being led off of the gangway in handcuffs felt like a punch to the gut to the entire crew. Whether or not they liked it, this was how Shepard had chosen to handle the situation. Each knew she was fully capable of running to the Terminus and hopping from system to system until the Reapers arrived. But that wouldn't gain her any favor with either the Council or the Alliance. So, she was forced to play by their rules until she was again needed.

Thane watched, his face impassive, as Shepard was led into an elevator by her escorts. He watched her face, waiting for any sign that she wanted him to follow. He had silently watched as the relationship between her and Garrus had grown from brothers-in-arms into something more. Had she chosen Thane, he would have given her the name Siha, yet he followed her still. He owed her much more than just his own life. Still, he had already met a Siha once in his life. To desire more would be selfish. So he watched her, and when she gave an almost imperceptible shake of her head, Thane's shoulders relaxed. He would not follow his Siha, she had already given him his final task.

Thane's eyes turned toward Garrus, and like battle hardened comrades, they knew what each was thinking the moment their eyes met. Garrus' flicked his mandibles in a muted show of irritation at their position. "Come on," the Turian tilted his head toward where the officers were filing them into another elevator. "we've got work to do."

* * *

Shepard's eyes lost focus as the lift doors closed. For a moment, she had almost been tempted to take Thane up on his silent offer. She understood she was putting herself and her crew in a difficult position. Though it wasn't near as difficult as being on the run would have been. Some of her crew had families they would be going back to and running only would have kept them from getting their affairs in order before the entire galaxy became a battleground.

She hoped that Garrus would try to contact his father one last time, at least for some closure. The elder Vakarian had not agreed with Garrus' decision to run off with a Spectre and their relationship had been rocky at best ever since.

Thane still had years to catch up on with his son, Kolyat. Shepard knew the boy didn't have near what it took to make good on his threats while he had the Turian politician hostage. He was scared and alone and lashed out in the only way his grief stricken mind could think of. Shepard remembered Bailey's look when she had suggested he be trained to join C-Sec. His eyebrows had nearly left his face. But Shepard saw the potential to channel his angst into something more productive and possibly save some lives when the war reached the Citadel, which she had no doubt it would soon enough.

Miranda had her sister to look after, and turning her back on the Illusive Man was not something one did lightly. Oriana seemed like a normal enough girl, and Shepard figured that Miranda was quite intentionally living vicariously through her. Instead of the life of excitement and adventure most craved, Miranda instead wanted her sister to live a quiet, comfortable life free from their father's grasping need for a legacy.

Shepard's thoughts drifted to Joker as the lift neared it's destination level. She remembered him saying he still had family on Tiptree, and wondered if she had done the right thing by telling him to stay close to the Normandy. But she knew him too well. He would have nothing to do with any orders to leave his ship behind. And she knew that he would be best suited to keeping EDI's true nature a secret.

The other reason Shepard had told Joker to remain close, had nothing to do with keeping EDI's virtual mouth shut. Through EDI, Shepard had her fingers in nearly every pot in and out of Citadel space. On the Normandy, she had access to every piece of information she needed. She had direct intel from the Flotilla, Hierarchy, Alliance, STG, Cerberus and the Shadow Broker herself. Anything she needed was just a call away. If she was going to have any chance of getting up to speed when the Reapers arrived, she would need every piece of intel EDI could muster to know who needed what, when and how.

As the lift doors opened, she had that same feeling again. She wasn't being led straight to the brig or even a holding cell. This was a portion of Arcturus Station reserved for high profile prisoners. She had been her once, years ago when she had served as a guard for a few weeks early in her career.

Each cell was about twice the size of those in the brig and was separated by almost a meter of steel reinforced permacrete. The doors were each guarded by two marines who had been randomly chosen by the stations V.I. to reduce the chance of collaboration with a prisoner to escape. When Shepard got to her own cell, however, she stopped short.

"Why are there four guards here," Shepard asked as all of the marines snapped a quick salute before one opened the door.

"Admiral's orders, mam."

Shepard furrowed her brow as her cuffs were removed and she was allowed to enter her cell. She felt worry, again, creep into her mind. Were they worried about her escaping? The room itself answered her question. It was spartan, but comfortable. She would be afforded more privacy than a normal prisoner, which told her that the Alliance didn't fear her crew breaking out. If they did, she would have been under heavier guard.

It left only one other possibility in her mind; Assassination.

Either the Hegemony had more evidence than Shepard realized, or they had backed the Alliance against the wall and her arrest and trial was the only thing to avoid an all out war. Nether possibility was comforting.


	14. Chapter 14

As the transport doors opened, nearly half the crew of the Normandy stepped out onto the Citadel's Presidium. Most were using the Citadel as a stop off to their final destinations all over the galaxy. Miranda had undergone a radical transformation before leaving Arcturus. Gone was her usual attire festooned with Cerberus logos and in it's place was a rather expensive looking black and red dress that seemed to do more than her skin-tight uniform, if Garrus could judge from all the heads turning her way. Her hair was put up into a loose bun, and was dyed a lighter shade of brown. Both Garrus and Thane had trouble identifying her as Miranda when she had greeted them on the loading platform. The former Cerberus operative seemed to take that as a complement and had been smiling to herself the entire trip.

The only ones not with them were Doctor Chakwas, Donnelly and Daniels, who were being held by the Alliance pending a decision as to how much each had to do with the charges being filed against Shepard. Though since all had taken a proper leave of absence before joining with Shepard's crew, Garrus doubted the Alliance would charge them with anything at all.

Each of what was left of the Normandy's crew stood in the terminal, none knowing what to say. Goodbye seemed too final. "See you," Garrus offered first, clasping hands with Thane.

"Likewise." The assassin bowed his head and strode off toward C-Sec to meet his son.

"Well," Miranda seemed uncomfortable with the parting, her eyes misting slightly as she took a deep breath. "Take care." She smiled at each in turn, not wanting to seem out of place among so many potential eavesdroppers.

"You too, Miranda," Garrus smiled as he shook Miranda's hand. "Say hi to the family for me."

Miranda chuckled, touched by the sentiment and the poignancy of the moment. "I will."

And as Miranda walked away, Garrus had to fight to keep the same feelings from three years ago from over whelming him again. Willing one foot in front of the other, he strode over to the nearest Avina kiosk. "I need to find Barla Von."

The flickering purple V.I. paused for a moment to consult the registry before answering, "Barla Von has relocated his offices to the Presidium Commons. A Sky Car is available 6 meters from your current position."

Garrus had to clamp his mouth shut to keep from thanking the V.I. He chuckled to himself, 'I've definitely spent too much time with EDI.'

* * *

It seemed that Von had exchanged his obscure hole in the wall for a prominent store front in the ritziest part of the Presidium. As Garrus approached, the volus excused himself from two two salarian customers and shifted his rotund body toward the far end of his counter. "Ah, greetings Vakarian. What can this humble banker do for you today?"

Garrus gave the two salarians a sidelong glance and the two, sensing his need for privacy, left to look at the kiosk along the wall. "I was wondering if you could help me find someone. He was doing a job for an acquaintance of ours and I need to know where he's gone."

The indicator lights on Von's helmet lit up as he drew in a harsh sounding breath. "No need to say more, Vakarian. My employer has been keeping an eye on him as well. He's currently residing in Bachjret Ward, level twenty-five, apartment 38. My employer made sure he was put to the head of the line when he was relocated from Tayseri Ward after the attack three years ago."

Garrus nodded and started to remove his credit chit to pay. "No need, Vakarian. My employer is sympathetic to you and your Commander's plight." Von inhaled deeply again and lowered his voice slightly. "And do not worry about your Commander. The Hegemony may think it has the upper hand, but I hear from certain sources that she will be well provided for."

Garrus flicked his mandibles in confusion. "Provided for?"

Von shifted his eyes around to make sure they were not overheard. "I can not say anymore, Vakarian. You have your information."

Garrus nodded, knowing when he was being told to mind his own business. He made sure to repeat Chorban's address to himself several times to make sure he remembered it as he hailed a Sky Car at the far end of the corridor.

It seemed that even after all this time, Tayseri Ward still looked like it had been bombed only last week. There were no lights in large sections of the ward and several of the larger structures were still in need of repair, open to the vacuum of space with small bits of debris still orbiting the gaping holes. Bachjret ward, by contrast, was almost pristine. Tayseri might as well have been on another planet.

Level twenty-five was almost a solid block of apartments, mostly one or two bedroom homes interspersed with a few stores selling essentials like groceries and household items. Apartment 38 looked like any of the other homes as Garrus stepped up to the door. His years in C-Sec taught him that even the tiniest detail out of place was as good as a smoking gun. So when he spotted the almost translucent green smudge on the access panel, Garrus had his pistol out and his omni-tool ready to contact C-Sec.

Gently, he pushed the door open, not bothering with the light. If Chorban was injured he would more likely than not be jumpy and liable to shoot Garrus without thought. Garrus could hear the faint hum of the refrigerator in the kitchen to the left of the entrance. A quick glance inside told him the kitchen had likely not been used in several days. In fact, the entire apartment looked as though it hadn't been lived in in some time. Garrus shut down his onmi-tool and crept further into the apartment. The living area was fully decorated as though someone lived here. But the thin coating of dust told him otherwise.

Turing into a doorway to his right led Garrus to the bedroom. This room, too, looked like it had not seen any activity in a while. Holstering his pistol, Garrus felt along the floor under the bed. If Chorban had left anything behind, this would be a likely place. When Garrus could find nothing on the floor, he searched under the mattress. The bedside table or desk would seem like the more logical place to hide things, but that would be the first place anyone looking to pilfer his research would look.

With the mattress coming up clean, Garrus turned his attention to the pillows. There were two pillows, fluffy, dusty and one of them had a hard knot in the center. Garrus tore into this pillow, and came out with a hand full of feathers and an OSD. Where ever the excitable Salarian had run off to, he had left this behind. Possibly for Shepard to find. Now that Garrus had what Chorban had mostly likely been working on, he wondered who could have scared him off right under the Shadow Broker's nose.

Slowly, Garrus made his way out of the apartment, making sure to stick to the shadows if anyone stuck their head in. He waited until a human couple had their back turned before he slipped out of the apartment and into the hallway, taking the nearest Sky Car back to the Presidium.


	15. Chapter 15

Thane stepped out of the lift, his eyes adjusting to the bright 'sunlight' of the Presidium's Market District. He stood to the side of the elevator and inhaled as much as his lungs would allow. The smell of the water and plants reminded him of how long it had been since he had been planet-side, and he suddenly remembered the smell of Illium before he had taken the Dantius job. The smell of the open air bar, Eternity, where the gruff Matriarch tended to the patrons with a mix of rugged charm and head-butts came to his mind almost unbidden. The memory made him smile, if only because without his time there, he never would have found his son in time to save him from himself.

Shaking himself out of his memories, Thane started down the hall toward the markets. The new Captain manning the small C-Sec office on Zakera ward had directed him here, though with a stern warning not to take too much of his son's time. He had promised not to interfere with his son's training, to which the Captain, a deep purple Asari who looked to be less than a century from Matriarch, had merely grunted before going back to her duties. Thane wondered if all older Asari were short with their words or just those with Krogan for fathers, when he spotted Kolyat walking with an older human woman.

Seeing her in person, Thane understood his son's hesitation when he was assigned as her trainee. She was a stern looking woman, and if the wrinkles around her eyes were any indication, she had led a hard life up till now. As he approached the two, Hudspeth's eyes locked on him, her mind putting two-and-two together and before Thane had opened his mouth to speak, she had her hand extended in greeting, a genuine smile pulling at her thin lips.

"You must be Mr. Krios. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Thane took the offered hand. Her palms were calloused like Shepard's, he observed and like Shepard, she had several scars on her face. Including one starting above the hair line above her ear and extending down to the left side of her mouth. "Thank you, Captain," Thane replied, as he clasped his hands behind his back. Kolyat seemed a little tense, though Thane chalked it up to their still strained relationship. "I know I only have a few minutes to talk."

Hudspeth had been observing her trainee's discomfort, and she tapped him on the shoulder. "I'm going to get a bite to eat at the bar." She jerked her thumb in the direction of the open cafe tended by an old Asari wiping the surface down with a towel.

Thane watched her leave before turning his gaze back on Kolyat. "Your training officer seems pleasant enough."

Kolyat chuffed, his hand moving to scratch an imaginary itch on the back of his head. "Yea, well, you haven't seen her angry." Kolyat craned his head toward where Hudspeth was talking with the bar tender. "The only reason that Krogan didn't kill her was because he was too drunk to see straight."

Thane chuckled as a third person came up to the bar to order a drink. Thane could only see the young human woman's profile, but he thought she looked familiar.

"She's pretty strict though." Thane turned back to his son, noting that his words weren't a complaint. "I can't tell you when the last time I slept in was."

"You seem to to be doing well under her tutelage, regardless."

Kolyat shrugged. "Yea... Thanks." The young Drell shifted his feet slightly, his nervousness showing as he wracked his brain for something to say. This seemed so much easier over vid-chat. "I'm staying in Zakera ward. It's a nice apartment, a little small but at least I can afford it on what they pay trainees."

Thane nodded his approval, his keen hearing picking up Hudspeth heading back in their direction. "I am proud of you, Kolyat. I always have been."

Kolyat tried to suppress a smile at his father's words, though he was only half successful. The words to express the pride he felt hearing his father complement his choices seemed stuck, somehow. Smothered under a blanket of lingering disappointments and loneliness.

"Thanks," Kolyat lifted one corner of his mouth to match the other, giving his father the first genuine smile of his adult life.

"I should probably let you get back to work." Thane turned to leave, not trusting that his voice wouldn't crack, as Hudspeth joined them, again.

"Do you have a place to stay?" The words tumbled out of Kolyat's mouth before he could stop them. He mentally kicked himself for even thinking to ask, but some part of him was afraid his father was living in a shelter, or worse, in an ally somewhere.

"Not yet, son" Thane chuckled at Kolyat's embarrassment. "I've only been here for a few hours. I do not doubt I will find somewhere to live. Shepard did not allow me to leave the Normandy without compensation."

Kolyat nodded, knowing Hudspeth was probably silently laughing at him. He didn't trust his mouth not to run off with him, so he merely smiled as his father turned and walked toward the cafe.

* * *

Garrus slowly leaned back on the small couch, stunned into silence by what he had just read. Everything Chorban had learned from Shepard's scanning of the Keepers was on the OSD Garrus had found in Chorban's apartment. The jumpy Salarian had used the scanning data as a tracker to plot the movement of each of the twenty or so tagged Keepers through out the Citadel. He even used the Keepers interactions with each other to expand the database until he was tracking the movements of almost ten thousand Keepers. Most of his notes were observations of their activities and movements throughout the inaccessible catacombs of the Citadel's interior.

However, as Garrus got toward the end of Chorban's detailed notes, he began noticing Chorban's increasing paranoia about his partner again. As Chorban closed in on the central control hub for the Keepers activities, he included detailed observations about Jahleed's suspicious activities. Garrus had nearly put the OSD down at that point. He had thought the entire issue between the two had been resolved rather well, though Chorban's observations included one crucial detail that kept Garrus from tossing his research aside. Chorban had followed Jahleed into the warehouse district on a hunch he was trying to sell their findings again. Instead he had found himself eves dropping on a conversation between his partner and a Cerberus agent. Chorban had recorded the conversation between the agent and Jahleed and it was, indeed, Cerberus attempting to get their hands on Chorban's research.

But, why?

Chorban had asked Jahleed the same question and from his notes, his partner's answer was somewhat evasive. The Volus had tried to get Chorban in on the deal, trying appeal to Chorban's greed first, then his ego with money and fame. But the Salarian had rightly deduced that in the hands of Cerberus, this information would be far too dangerous. 'Better to hand it to the Council, he had written,' and 'face any penalties than let Cerberus use any part of this.'

Garrus continued reading, his eyes scanning over a more recent entry. He opened the play back of the audio file and listened.

"Found out where the Keepers are coming from. Under the Presidium tower, under the archives, way under. Back-traced through one of their terminals in Zakera ward. It's what the protein vats are for. Cloned. Programmed. Virus in the program, though. Interferes with outside signals, I think. Who's controlling the Keepers from outside the Citadel? Who wrote the virus? It's relatively new. Original program is old. Ancient. Older than ancient. Can't access main body of code from terminals. Only packets. Some packets aren't from the central control. Originate from elsewhere. Looks like activation orders. Activating what? Why? Who is sending these codes? Pinging source doesn't help. Says it originates from dark space. Impossible. Unless... Shepard was right. Jahleed? Is that you? Wait! Your not-"

So Cerberus had come calling for Chorban. Garrus scrolled down further and found one last audio recording. He tapped the screen and listened again.

"Whoever this is, make sure this gets to Shepard. *Cough* They killed Jahleed. Framed me. Damned Cerberus. Knew they were *groan* trouble. My partner tried to sell this information to them. Only let him have half, though. Probably why they killed him. Thank goodness for remote backups. Destroying everything except this disk. Hope it gets to the right people. Dead either way."

Garrus listened as Chorban took his last breaths. He was gone and this was the only thing left of his research. Knowing all of this, Garrus suddenly felt closed in. He nearly leapt from the couch and started pacing the small hotel room, his mind whirring. There wasn't much he could do with this information on the Citadel. No one wanted to even hear the word 'Reaper', not after the smear campaign both the Alliance and Council had orchestrated against Shepard. Even after everything he, himself, had seen, he still wouldn't even be able to get an audience with the Council. And, too, Chrorban's findings might actually land him in trouble if someone got the idea that they were a form of disturbance to the Keepers.

"I'd get a better reception with the Hierarchy," Garrus muttered to himself. But he had to admit that he had no more pull with the Primarch than the average citizen. Garrus stopped pacing as a thought occurred to him. "No." He continued his restless circuit around the hotel room. But he stopped again as his eyes found the data pad. "I must be going insane." Garrus rubbed a hand over his face as he considered his options. As he made up hims mind, he felt his shoulders sink. He had to try. Taking the OSD from the data pad he stowed it in an inside pocket in his civilian clothing and started packing his meager belongings.

On the laptop built into the desk, he booked himself on the first transport to leave the Citadel and walked out the door. He was finely going home.


End file.
